Soul Swear
by Asura64
Summary: The Cursed Sword Soul-Edge has awoken, and a new Dark Seed has swept across the land, turning innocent people into blood-thirsty killers known as 'malfested'. Set In a beautiful new world ruled by an unjust king, it's up to Alex to amass a rag-tag group of fighters to return peace to the continent of Seiroth once and for all! My first fan-fiction, please leave a review or comment!
1. In the Face of Danger

**1**

**In the Face of Danger**

*8 Years Later*

Alex Blazer awoke to a spine-tingling scream in the night, followed by an explosion. The temperature around him was hot, and the air smelled of smoke. He quickly sat up in his bed to look outside his window. The moon was out, as well as a bright orange light shining from outside.

It was fire, and the screaming didn't stop.

Alex scrambled from his bed, and ran out the front door of his home. The first thing he saw were villagers all rushing in one direction. The whole village seemed to be in a state of emergency. Alex then saw his child hood friend Aella among the mix. She was also running towards the commotion. Even though it was dark outside, the fire shone the light on her, showing her long, straight pink hair, which clashed with her glowing blue eyes. She was holding her bladed tonfas, and had a determined expression on her face.

"Aella, what's going on?"

Aella stopped in her tracks. "Alex get your weapon, we're being attacked!" Aella continued to run towards the ensuing battle at the gate.

Alex did as he was told and ran back inside. _Again?_ He thought. _This is the third time we've been attacked._

Alex grabbed his weapon from the wall, a curved wakizashi sword, or as Alex always put it: _Like a katana, only shorter. _He then ran outside to follow his friend, when he saw the attackers.

People dressed in all different types of clothing, some running, some setting buildings ablaze, some locked in combat with the other villagers, but all were wearing the same tell-tale sign of a killer: A black eye with a red iris inked somewhere on their clothes or body. It was the universal sign of the malfested. One of the malfested was wearing a brown hood and laughing towards the smoke filled sky.

"All will fall to the king!" he yelled. "Burn everything! Burn it all to the ground!" The malfested continued to laugh maniacally until he saw Alex standing across from him_._ "Aww lookee here, we got a hero tryin' to save his friends!"

Alex silently drew his blade. He held the sword underhanded in his right hand, and held his left hand out in front of him, just as he was taught. But Alex was trembling. While this was the third time the village was attacked, this was his first battle he actually partook in, as well as his first fight against an actual enemy.

The malfested snickered. "What's wrong little man? I can see you shaking from way over here! Are these really the 'brave warriors of Brave Leaf' I've been hearing so much about? What a joke!"

Alex was never used to fighting. He never liked the thought of hurting others, and the sweat on his face made it very clear. The other two occasions his village was attacked, he either ran or hid away, and people ended up getting hurt for it, people he could've saved.

_I'm not running this time. _Alex thought. _No matter how scary it gets, I have to fight to protect the ones I care about!_

Alex took a deep breath, and regained his composure. He then waited.

"Ah well, it doesn't matter." The stranger said before suddenly dashing towards Alex. He was holding daggers in both hands. "It just means more souls for me!"

The malfested slashed at Alex's face with tremendous speed. Alex instinctively jumped back in fear, narrowly avoiding the attack. The malfested continued to hound Alex, slashing away like a mad-man, as Alex continued to clumsily dodge the attacks.

_OK _Alex thought. _So far so good. If I can keep dodging his attacks I should be able to-_

"You're dead little man!" the malfested then rushed close to Alex, so close that they were face to face. The malfested went in for a stab.

_No! He's too close–I can't dodge that!_

Alex swung his blade at the enemy's knife, parrying the attack. The malfested was sent off balance, and tried to back-step away, but tripped backwards, landing on his back with a thud. Alex holding his sword, stared into the eyes of the man, he looked a lot more panicked than before. Alex raised his sword above the man. The malfested, in fear, closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable… but nothing happened. The man cracked open an eye. Alex was shaking, and he was in a bad sweat. The malfested noticed his hesitation, and used this as an opening. The man shot up from the ground.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance dumbass!" Alex snapped out of his trance and tried to block the attack, but was too late. The man's knife slashed at Alex's hand, creating a gash, and his sword was sent flying away. Alex was totally disarmed.

"HAH! Now what're you gonna –"

The man was cut off by a solid punch to the face. Alex followed up with a left hook to the chin, then a right hook, then a punch to the gut. Alex continued sending a flurry of punches the man's way, adding more and more momentum with each strike. The malfested was totally disoriented, and couldn't react to anything in time. Soon, his face was bloodied, and bruised all over, and the punches just kept hitting like a storm. The last thing the malfested saw was Alex's fist as he was delivered a giant haymaker to the face that sent him flying. The man rolled and rolled, until he collided into the wall of a nearby house. He was unconscious.

Alex stood there for a moment, panting heavily, his heart was still racing, and his whole body was shaking. He snapped out of his daze when he heard another malfested voice.

"Retreat! Grab the leader and get back to the castle!"

Before Alex knew it, someone had snatched up the hooded man, and escaped outside the gates alongside the other malfested. Within seconds the area was empty except for the other villagers. The village of Brave Leaf had held off the attack, but no one celebrated. The villagers knew that the attacks wouldn't stop until they go on the offensive.


	2. Worth Fighting For

**2**

**Worth Fighting For**

"Alex…Alex! Wake up!" It was early in the morning, and Aella was hectically shaking Alex from his sleep. "C'mon Alex, it's important, wake up!"

_Maybe if I just pretend to stay asleep, she'll just wander off._ Alex kept his eyes closed, letting out an exaggerated snore.

Aella made a pouty face. "Fine, if you're not gonna wake up then you leave me no choice." Alex then heard the sound of footsteps getting quieter, and quieter.

_Is she gone? ... Wow it actually worked! _

Then the footsteps began getting louder…and louder. Someone was running towards him, and fast! Alex jumped out of bed with his arms shielding his face.

"OK–OK I'm awake!" Aella stopped running towards Alex, and started to laugh. Alex put on a straight-face before finally laughing along. "Yeah-yeah, real funny, threatening to attack someone in their sleep. Why do you always have to break into MY house?"

She was still giggling. "Well it's not really 'breaking into' if you never lock your doors. Anyway, get dressed. The village elder's hosting a meeting in the square."

Alex yawned, and rubbed his eyes. "Do we have to go?"

"He said 'all trained fighters'."

"Wait, isn't that pretty much everyone?"

"Yep." Alex let out a groan, which just made Aella laugh even more.

In the village of Brave Leaf, village custom has always dictated that all youth starting at the age of 12 must begin learning how to fight both with, and without a weapon. The villagers are taught from birth to be strong so that they can not only protect themselves, but the people they love as well. Alex and Aella were born and raised in this village, and Alex just recently turned 19. Aella has always been friends with Alex as long as he can remember. She seemed to always be there to brighten his day, or help him train, and was really supportive of Alex during some dark times in his life.

After getting dressed, Alex walked with Aella to the square. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping, which contradicted with the destruction outside. Houses and buildings were totally destroyed, and some were still smoking from the flames. There was a giant hole in the village walls that showed where the malfested broke in. The hole was made only yesterday, but the townspeople were already hard at work reconstructing it. It looked like it would be fixed by the afternoon.

Aella seemed as jubilant as ever. She was humming a tune to herself, walking with excitement towards the square. Alex frowned behind her, jealous of his friend's up-beat attitude. He had been rudely awakened, and he still hadn't had breakfast yet.

Alex pouted._ How am I supposed to do anything without some breakfast? _He looked on towards his friend, still humming away. _…I bet she got to eat breakfast. _

Alex tried to get his mind off the subject. "So what is this meeting about exactly?" He asked.

Aella shot Alex a sarcastic look. "Call it a hunch, but maybe the fact we got attacked last night has something to do with it?"

"Yes I know, but the elder isn't really a 'take action' kind of guy."

"Maybe he'll surprise us."

The two entered the square, where the other fighters of the village were already assembled. Alex recognized some of them from last night's battle, and wondered if any of them were still as tired as he was.

_Yeah right, everyone in the village knows I'm the lamest fighter in Brave Leaf. _

Though Brave Leaf is home to many skilled fighters, Alex was always known for being a push-over when it came to combat. He always lagged behind the other fighters, including Aella, and the fact he was the youngest fighter in the village didn't help either. Alex heard chatting from the other fighters around him.

"Did you notice how quickly the malfested attacked this time?"

"No kidding, and there were even more of them then last time. They're getting stronger." Alex turned to another conversation.

"I'm telling you, things aren't gonna change until we bring the fight to them!"

"C'mon man, you know the elder wouldn't do something like that. He's way too protective of his people." Another conversation:

"Hey, did you hear? They say that Alex actually fought in the battle yesterday."

"Alex? Seriously, that light-weight fought a malfested?"

"Yeah man, I heard he knocked him out flat on his face."

"Ha! Yeah right, that guy couldn't hurt a fly."

_Oh_ _great. _Alex thought._ The one time I put out and I'm still a slacker. _

The crowd came to a hush as the village elder finally appeared before the fighters. He was a tall, bald old man, with scars all along his arms. The only visible hair on him was his small, greying beard.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Good morning everyone, I apologize for having you all wake up so early but there is something that has to be said as soon as possible. As you are all aware, the village has been attacked three times now by these… malfested and we still know very little about them." One of the villagers raised their hand at this statement. The elder called on him "Yes Jacob, what is it?"

"Well sir, what exactly _do_ we know about the malfested?"

"We know that they look like regular people, just like us, except for the black eye always located on their clothes. We also know that they are very hostile to anyone that isn't one of them. So far, all attempts to negotiate with them have resulted in failure, and though we have been able to defend the village every time, we have not gone without casualties. It pains me that someone would find reason to harm our peaceful village, but if we are to prevent the deaths of those we care about, then we must take action!" The crowd cheered at that statement, though Alex and Aella stayed silent. The elder continued. "Yes, it appears that if we are to end these attacks once and for all, we must find the source of these malfested, and strike with all our might."

A few people in the crowd continued to cheer, but most of them mumbled in reluctance. One of the fighters raised his hand:

"Sir, the malfested have been around for about eight years now, we're just lucky that they only started attacking us now, a lot of other places had already fallen years ago."

"That's right!" another fighter added. "We don't even know where they're based or how many of them there really are!"

The elder was annoyed. "Everyone quiet!…The reason I called you all here was to make an announcement so that you are all kept up to date with village affairs. Today, a brave villager will be chosen to venture outside the village with the sole purpose of finding the source of these malfested, and destroying it once and for all."

Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. Eight years ago, when the first news of the malfested arose, the village dismissed such information as a temporary disturbance that would go away on its own. But as the years went on, and more civilizations fell to the malfested, the grave danger of the situation became much clearer. The elder forbid anyone from leaving the village, in fear that anyone outside the village walls would be in danger of attack from the countless malfested that were no doubt waiting outside. Alex had only been outside the village walls once, and the gruesome images he saw as a child would haunt his mind forever.

_It must be a cesspool out there... _Hearing about the Malfested always made Alex wonder: _What if we had done something sooner? What if we had fought against this when the problem first appeared, instead of ignoring it? _Alex stared towards the ground. _ So many people have been killed by the malfested, could we have saved those people too?_ The elder continued speaking

"For this reason…"

_No, anyone who steps outside those walls, into that unforgiving world, is as good as dead._

"I am proud to announce Aella Alexandria to be our hero in time of need, if she accepts."

Alex was ripped from his thoughts to the real world in an instant. The crowd was totally silent; all eyes were on Aella, who proudly stood apart from the other fighters.

"I humbly accept." She said in a determined tone.

The crowd continued to stay silent, and the elder just stared at Aella, as if waiting to see if she would suddenly change her mind.

_Aella…why are you doing this!? _

"Then it's settled." The elder said. "Unfortunately time is of the essence, you will have to leave out immediately young lady." Aella didn't even bat an eye.

"I understand sir."

"Good, then your first task would be to-"

"STOP!" All eyes jumped to Alex, his hands were clenched in fists, and he was shaking. The elder raised an eyebrow at the boy, who just stood there in silence.

Aella whispered. "Alex, what are you doing?" Alex ignored her, and looked towards the elder.

"W-Why does Aella have to be the one to go, huh? You could've chosen anyone… why does it have to be her?!"

"Aella is one of the most promising fighters in Brave Leaf, not to mention she is resourceful, intelligent, and brave enough to see this mission through to the end."

"I can fight!" Alex yelled. The elder was taken aback by this. Alex continued. "I fought in the battle yesterday, I-I took out a malfested all by myself. I can hold my own!" At this the other villagers snickered and laughed. The elder kept a stern look on his face.

"Alex, I appreciate your act of bravery in the fight yesterday, and the village commends you for it, but when it comes down to it, you would just be a liability child. Aella far surpasses you in terms of fighting skills."

Alex was silenced. It was true; Aella was known to never hold back when she fought. She was in a whole league of her own when compared to someone like Alex.

"Besides my boy, witnesses say that by the time your fight was over, Aella had already incapacitated 14 malfested." Alex was left speechless, trembling in the crowd. Aella approached him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Alex, it's OK, really. I don't mind doing this if it's to help the village." Alex looked at her in total surprise. He knew what this was about now.

"Y-You people…You're all sick!" Alex yelled to the crowd. "You guys all know that Aella would never refuse an offer to help someone! How could you take advantage of her kindness like this?!" Some of the villagers began to point their heads down in shame. "You would seriously throw out one of your own, to fend for themselves?!" The elder looked infuriated, but Alex continued to speak. "I may be a weakling elder, but you…you're all nothing but cowards!"

The whole plaza fell silent. The other fighters looked appalled, and Alex's rant seemed to attract extra attention, as more onlookers had gathered, and some villagers were looking out the windows of their houses. The elder looked the most infuriated, and began to speak in a low, almost inaudible tone.

"As long as I am the elder of this village, what I say, goes. As for you Alex, I want to have a word with you in my home afterwards." Alex balled up his fists, he had never spoken out like this before, and he regretted many things in his life, but this wasn't one of them. Alex then turned towards the elder's home and started walking, as the elder declared in one final shout: "This meeting is over!"

Alex waited inside the entrance of the elder's house. He had been here before, but only to see Aella. The room was lit by a lone, flickering torch that hung on a nearby wall, and the walls were adorned with weapons of all kinds. Eventually the elder finally stepped inside, and sat down on a nearby bench without even looking at Alex. He just stared at the flame of the torch.

Moments passed with nothing said, until Alex hesitantly spoke. "Elder…you know that-"

"Do you think this is easy for me Alex? Hmm!? Do you really think that I would WANT to send Aella, my only daughter, out there into the unknown?! You think I want this?!" Alex stared back in disbelief, he didn't think he cared, but the tears that were streaming down the elder's face made it all the more apparent. "I love my children… this whole village is my family. But Aella is my only real daughter, and she means the world to me Alex."

"But…but I don't understand, if you care about her so much, why would you choose for her to go?" The elder let out a deep sigh.

"I didn't choose her Alex…she volunteered."

Alex was shocked. "She… volunteered?"

The elder nodded. "Of course I was against it; In fact, at first I was furious that she would even suggest such a thing so many years ago… But over time, as more and more people lost their lives to the malfested, she begged and pleaded to me to let her out of the village to help save the villagers, and I said no every time. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone going out there, knowing that they would die because of me, so I closed off the walls. She blamed my cowardice for their deaths, and in a way she was right." Alex couldn't believe it; he had misjudged the elder, and suddenly felt terrible for the things he said at the plaza, he probably made a tough decision for the elder even tougher. "When Aella returned from yesterday's battle, she was crying Alex. She told me that while you were fighting a malfested, she saw you get disarmed… She thought that you were dead. I've never seen her so scared before. It was when she thought she was going to lose you, that she decided enough is enough. She insisted on leaving tomorrow."

Tears ran down Alex's cheek. _ I never knew she thought so much of me…Dammit! Why would I make her worry like that? _

The elder continued. "Alex…she's leaving because she is willing to die to protect the people she loves." The elder finally looked Alex in the eyes. "She's leaving to protect you Alex."

Alex dashed out the door of the elder's house, sprinting as fast as he could.

_How could I have been so stupid!? _Alex thought while turning a corner.

_She's willing to put her life on the line for me… and I… _Alex vaulted over a barrel, and continued to sprint towards the gate, which was closing inwards.

_I don't care how dangerous it is out there… _The gates continued to close.

_I don't care what happens to me. _Alex sprinted even faster.

_As long as she's alive, I have something worth fighting for! _Alex dashed through the tiny opening of the gate just before it closed, leaving the village for the first time in years. He ran, and ran, and ran down the path until he finally caught up to Aella, who had already begun walking down the trail. She turned around to see Alex keeled over with his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath.

Aella smiled. "What took you so long?" Alex could do nothing but return the smile, and the two walked into the unknown, putting all their fears behind them.


	3. Outside the Walls

**3**

**Outside the Walls**

The two walked down the sunlit path. Rays of light pierced through the swaying trees, as the sounds of birds chirping created a soothing cacophony in the forest. Alex looked behind him towards the village, which grew smaller as the distance between them grew, then he looked ahead, he could see great mountains in the distance, and the sky was totally clear. Once in a while, a calm breeze would blow through the forest, causing flower petals to rain from the blossoming trees up above.

Alex was astonished. "You know… for a dangerous cesspool, this isn't that bad."

Aella smiled at him. "See? I told you. It's actually really nice out here." The two continued to walk until they reached a clearing.

"Hey, do you mind if we take a break?" Alex asked.

"Huh? But we just started walking."

Alex smiled nervously. "Yeah but I'm kinda hungry."

"Ugh, fine."

Alex and Aella sat on two stumps that were in the clearing as Aella opened her knapsack to reach for some food. Aella suddenly stopped, and threw Alex an angry stare.

"W-what is it?" Alex asked.

Aella looked over Alex's body before finally speaking. "Alex…what did you actually bring in terms of supplies?"

Alex went pale faced.

_Aw crap! In my rush to find Aella I totally forgot about bringing supplies of my own! She's gonna think I'm irresponsible, or worse, a moocher! ... Dammit, she's still staring at me! OK Alex don't panic just…play it off, yeah that'll work. Just pretend like you know what you're doing out here._

Alex calmly smiled at Aella who continued to stare intently at him.

"Well you see Aella, when you're on a mission like this, it's important that you only bring the bare essentials. As you can see I have my fighting clothes, and my sword, which in the end is more than–"

"Don't give me that! You forgot to bring any supplies didn't you!?"

"Aw c'mon, you can't blame me! It was a split-second decision!"

"Dang it Alex, you're supposed to be more responsible than that!"

Alex dragged his hand down his face. "I'm sorry Aella. You're right, I didn't think this through."

Aella kept up her pouty face, but eventually sighed. "Its fine Alex." she then continued to rummage through her bag, before handing Alex a biscuit.

Alex's face lit up. "Oh, thanks!"

Aella smiled. "You're such a moocher, you know that?" Alex ate his biscuit in shame.

He covered his mouth with his hand, talking to Aella between bites. "So…do we actually have a plan on where to go?"

Aella nodded. "The elder said that there's an alchemist in a city called Lavaliere who knows a lot about the Malfested."

"You mean like how to beat them?"

"Maybe… we won't know until we get there."

Alex stood up "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Aella raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one that wanted to take a break?"

"Well yeah, but now that I know we have a plan, I'm ready to do my part!"

Aella smiled. "Thanks Alex, I'm glad you came."

Alex and Aella continued to head north until nightfall arrived. The swaying of the trees stopped, and the only source of light left was the full moon, which cast an eerie glow on the forest floor. The sound of birds was replaced by rustling in the bushes and trees around them. Alex flinched to every sound he heard.

"Aella, it's getting pretty dark."

"Yeah, I know, we'll have to find shelter soon, or else we'll just have to sleep on the forest floor." The two continued walking until they saw something in the distance.

"Hey Aella, do you see that? It looks like a town!"

Aella looked where Alex was pointing. "Oh yeah, I see it."

"Is that… Lavaliere?"

The town consisted of totally wooden structures, and most looked to be in a state of disrepair. He could hear the creaking of the boards from all the way over here, and even though it was night, you could still see the dust floating in the air. Alex could've sworn he just saw a tumbleweed roll by.

Alex frowned. "You know, with a name like Lavaliere, I kinda expected the place to look a bit…fancier."

"This can't be the place." Aella retorted. "Lavaliere is a few miles away from the village; we've barely even traveled one."

Alex let out a sigh of relief. "Well then what is this place?"

Aella started walking. "Only one way to find out."

The two entered the town. The place didn't have walls or any welcoming party at all, the closest thing to that was a sign that read: 'Welcome to Ripton'

"Ripton huh?" Alex said. The two looked around for any signs of life, but the place seemed to be a ghost town. Aella finally spotted a woman staring at them from outside one of the small houses.

"Hey Alex, I see someone there!" Aella excitedly looked towards the woman and waved hello. The woman then ran back inside her house, and by the sound of it, locked her door. Aella put a hand on her hip, tilting her head in confusion. "Well that was rude of her."

Alex urged her. "C'mon, let's just try to find someone else, maybe a place to sleep for the night." The two walked through the dark, quiet town before finally coming upon a building that seemed to be bustling with some activity. There was the sound of talking, and glasses clattering inside. Upon further inspection it appeared to be a tavern. There was an old, bearded man sitting on a rocking chair just outside the entrance.

Aella's face lit up, "Hey there are people here! Alex let's check it out!" Aella rushed inside.

"Aella wait!" Alex said, but she was already gone. _What's with her and meeting new people? She's such a social butterfly. _

Alex began to follow her inside, passing the old man in the rocking chair. Alex was shocked when the man suddenly gripped Alex's arm as he passed. The old man looked upwards towards Alex, the moon light revealed the multiple scars and wrinkles that lied on his face, before he began to speak.

"If you and your friend know what's good for you, you'll leave town…now." Alex didn't know what to think of that, he shook the man off his grasp, and hurried to find Aella inside.

The room was filled with people sitting at tables, sitting and chatting away, but as soon as Alex entered, the talking stopped, and all eyes were on him. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Alex stood there for a moment frozen in fear before awkwardly making his way to the bar, where Aella was sitting on a stool. He sat down next to her. Eventually the chattering in the bar continued.

"What the heck was that about?" Alex whispered to Aella.

"I don't know. The same thing happened to me when I walked in." Alex looked back at the other customers, the majority of them were talking to each other, but Alex also noticed there was no laughter, no jolly atmosphere that a bar is supposed to have.

Alex leaned towards Aella. "I think that old man outside threatened me."

Aella laughed. "Right, because that guy totally looked like a threat."

"Seriously Aella, something's definitely wrong with this place."

Aella's face grew serious. "I know. The people here seem on edge, and I have no idea why. We'll just stay for the night, and leave out first thing in the morning."

Alex nodded. "Sounds good to me…Hey, there's the barman, ask him if we can rest here for the night." The barman was a burly, middle-aged bald man. He approached the two sitting at the stools.

"Hey can I get you anythi–" The man looked surprised upon seeing the two unfamiliar faces. His surprise soon turned to worry as he leaned in closer. "You two really shouldn't be here."

"Why?" Alex asked. "What's wrong with–"

The doors to the tavern slammed open with a loud crash, and the sound of chatting stopped yet again. Alex heard an obnoxious voice suddenly yell.

"Good evening people of Ripton!" the room stayed silent, accept for the sound of the man walking towards the bar. The stranger sat in the open stool next to Alex, but he didn't dare look at who it was. The voice spoke again.

"Hey Barry, hook me up with a cold…bottle of…" The voice seemed to trail off, making the silence of the room even more jarring, and Alex felt uneasy. He could feel the intense stare of the stranger cast onto him, but Alex still didn't look. Alex then suddenly felt a hand grab his shoulder as he was forcefully turned around towards the stranger. He was forced to look face to face at the man, who was grinning madly.

"Well well well, if it ain't the hero."


	4. The Lion's Den

**4**

**The Lion's Den**

Aella looked towards Alex and the stranger. Alex was being gripped on the shoulder by a man wearing a brown hood. He was grinning. Aella glanced at the barman to see how he'd react to the situation, but he seemed to be frozen in fear, trembling behind the counter. She couldn't make out what the hooded man was saying to Alex, but she didn't have to. She looked at the man's shoulder and saw the black eye stained on his clothes. This man was malfested, and he was talking to Alex.

_This is my chance. _Aella thought.

Aella then proceeded to slowly reach for the bladed tonfas on her hips, but the sound of scraping steel alerted the man. He stopped talking to Alex and looked at Aella.

_Damn! He noticed me! _

Aella then shot up from her stool and ran towards the malfested, who was still sitting down. She kicked the stool from under him, causing the man to fall to the ground with a thud. Aella then dropped her elbow on the malefested's face; she thought she felt something snap under her elbow upon impact. The hooded man held his face and howled in pain as Aella noticed a large shadow looming over her. She turned around to see a tall, muscular man holding a chair above his head. He was going to crush it over Aella's head. Before Aella could react, Alex tackled the man into a wooden wall, and the two began to scuffle in the far end of the room. Aella turned her attention back to the hooded man, who was now getting back up.

"MALFESTED! WE GOT INTRUDERS!" The hooded man yelled.

_That can't be good._

At that point the other people in the bar had run away, swarming to exit the building. Within seconds the only people left in the bar was Aella, the hooded man, Alex and the brute, which was fighting Alex in the back of the room.

"Oh, I get it." The malfested said. "The village got all freaked out after our little attack yesterday, so they sent you two clowns to clean up, am I right?" Aella drew her bladed tonfas, preparing for a fight. The malfested continued. "The way I see it, you chumps only won because you had a home-field advantage." The malfested grinned. "But now…" At that moment all the glass windows in the bar suddenly shattered, as malfested jumped in from all angles. They were each brandishing weapons of their own, and they quickly surrounded Aella. "You're in the Lion's Den now kiddos!"

Aella counted six malfested, not counting the hooded man, and the brute Alex was wrestling. Aella held her tonfas at the ready. One of the malfested behind her came running at her, swinging a large, curved sword at Aella's head.

_Too slow._

Aella ducked under the attack, and kicked the assailant in the side of the leg, feeling it buckle inward and making a loud popping noise. The malfested collapsed to the ground in pain.

Aella then dashed to the nearest attacker on her right. She caught him off guard, and sliced at the attacker's hand with a spin, causing their weapon to fly out of their hands. Aella lowered her body to a crouch during the spin, and then shot up into the air, delivering a rising knee to the disarmed malfested's chin, sending him on his back.

_Two down._ Aella then ran towards another malfested holding short-swords in both hands. The malfested put up both swords to defend himself, but Aella simply jumped over the man. Upon landing, Aella pointed her tonfas behind her, and thrust both elbows back, impaling the malfested in his sides. She then performed a leg-sweep on the impaled malfested, sending him crashing to the ground, before finishing him with a heavy elbow drop to the gut.

Aella hopped back to her feet, only to be met by a large malfested wielding a battle-axe. The malfested swung the axe straight down at Aella, who dodged the attack with a quick spin to the left, slashing the malfested's side in the process. Aella then punched the man in the back of the spine, causing his whole body to flex outwards, bringing his head towards Aella. Aella then grabbed the malfested's head in her arm, putting him in a chokehold, before puncturing him with her other arm. Aella let the man fall to the ground. She then dashed towards the last malfested, delivering a swift round-house kick to the jaw, which sent him spinning. Aella then pivoted on her foot to deliver another roundhouse kick on the same spot; she definitely felt something in him break that time. Aella then tripped the man with her foot, sending him on his back, before lifting her leg high into the air before delivering a devastating heel-drop on top of his face.

"Surprise!" a voice yelled behind her.

_Crap! I forgot about him! _Aella turned around to see the hooded man in the air, holding daggers in both hands, and coming straight for her. She had been careless. She couldn't react in time, the hooded man had picked the best moment to attack, and yet…

Something felt wrong.

The man seemed to slow down in mid-air, and began moving away from Aella. It was almost as if he was he was being pulled back by some un-seeable force. Then she saw him. Alex had gripped the man's leg with his right hand, and was pulling him away from Aella. She watched the malfested's face turn from a confident grin to terrified shock in an instant, as Alex let out a deafening roar, slamming the man into the ground. The force of the slam was so great that the man's body bounced on impact with the floor. The hooded man lied there, unconscious. Aella looked over past Alex, who was panting heavily. The man he was fighting before was also lying unconscious in the corner.

Alex spoke with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath between words. "Are you…alright?"

Aella smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I could ask the same to you." Alex looked past Aella at the six bodies lying on the ground.

"Whoa… are they…?"

"No, malfested are harder to kill then you think."

Alex let out a sigh. "Well in that case can we go now… please? I've had enough of this freaky town."

"You and me both."

Alex and Aella walked outside the tavern to a less than welcoming sight.

"Aw, c'mon!" Alex yelled. Aella just stared in disbelief.

It was the townspeople; they had all amassed in front of the tavern, and they were all carrying house-hold tools as weapons. Shovels, sickles, hammers, and even some swords comprised the people's weapons.

_There has to be at least 40 of them. _Aella thought. _We can't take them all out._

The people continued staring down the two until the old man from outside the tavern approached them, holding a shovel.

He stopped some distance away, and spoke. "What have you two done?" Aella and Alex looked at each other, and then looked at the man.

Aella spoke. "We've taken down the malfested inside…and we'll take down anymore that stand in our way."

The old man's face contorted as he fell to his knees and dropped his weapon. He began to sob before raising his head up to the sky.

"They did it!" he yelled." "They did what we could never accomplish! They beat the malfested!" The other townspeople's mouths opened in pure surprise. Aella could only hear the clattering of weapons falling to the ground as the townspeople cheered and cried tears of joy.


	5. Heroes

**5**

**Heroes**

"Aella, Aella wake up!" Aella was being shaken awake by Alex. She slowly opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, wearing a goofy grin on his face. Aella blinked a few times before speaking in a slur. "W–why? What's happening?"

"It's time for breakfast!" Alex began to tug at Aella's arm. "C'mon they're waiting for us!"

"Wait, who's they?"

"The people of Ripton! They were so thankful for what we did yesterday that they insisted on throwing a feast for us!"

Aella's eyes widened. "Really? A feast just for us?"

"That's right! So hurry up and get dressed, they're already downstairs." And with that, Alex ran out the room. Aella smiled, it wasn't often she got to see Alex so excited about something.

After last night's fight, Alex and Aella were treated to free lodging at the town's inn. The people rejoiced to finally being free from the malfested, and wanted to show the two heroes how grateful they were.

Aella got dressed and walked downstairs to the dining hall.

_Whoa, Alex wasn't kidding._

In the dining hall, a long dining room table rested in the middle of the room, and occupying the many seats around it were the townsfolk themselves. They all stood up upon seeing Aella, and immediately began clapping and cheering, throwing words of thanks and kindness her way. The whole scene made Aella's face turn red. She bashfully walked to her seat, a seat prepared just for her right next to Alex, who was smiling gleefully. Aella and the other diners sat down, as the people's attention switched to a man who was still standing up. It was the old man from last night, and he began to speak.

"We are here today to celebrate our new-found freedom from our malfested oppressors, and to give thanks to the two brave warriors that made it all possible. Their un-relenting bravery in the face of danger is an inspiration to us all, and their undying sense of justice, a blessing to the people of Ripton. Thank you Alex and Aella, you two are true heroes." The townsfolk cheered loudly, smiling at the two heroes. Aella glowed red while trying to hide her smile. The old man continued. "Well we've kept our guests waiting long enough, it's time to feast!"

With that, foods of all assortments were brought out. Trays of roasted meat that were still smoking from the stoves, along with large woven baskets filled with colorful fruits were brought out to the table. The air smelled sweet from the entrees, and there seemed to be a limitless amount coming from the kitchen, though all of it looked just as delicious. Aella looked at the food with awe before trying some of the steak.

"Whoa, this is great!" Aella exclaimed. Alex agreed.

"I know! It's definitely a step above what they gave us in the village!"

"Village you say?" Alex and Aella noticed that the old man from before had sat across from them. The old man continued. "Sorry, after all that's happened, I've still never introduced myself. My name is Groland, and I'm the closest thing we have to a mayor around here."

Alex spoke. "Well it's good to finally meet you Groland."

"Thank you very much for the food, it's delicious!" Aella said.

Groland smiled. "It's the least we could do after all you two have done for us." Groland took a slice of ham before continuing. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You two are from Brave Leaf aren't you?" Alex nodded. "Ah, well that explains how you two dispatched those malfested so easily." Groland suddenly put on a worried look. "We had overheard the malfested planning to attack your village several times, and we began to worry." He then lifted his head and smiled. "But they got pushed back here every time, and that's how we knew you guys were OK! I guess it's true that the fighters there are as tough as they come! If there's anything you two need, please don't hesitate to ask, we're in your debt."

_Well I guess now is the best time to ask him some questions before we leave. _Aella thought. "Actually sir, could you give us some more information about your captors? Like… exactly how long was Ripton under the control of the malfested?"

Groland put his hand on his chin and pondered. "Hmm… I'd say about 8 months now." Aella nodded.

_That sounds about right. Brave Leaf didn't start getting attacked until about a month back._

Alex then asked a question. "Do you guys have any idea of what they wanted, or why they kept attacking our village?" Groland shook his head.

"Sorry, if I knew what they really wanted I'd tell you, but the malfested seemed content at just putting us to work and…" The man paused, staring down at his plate, his face looked grim. Aella spoke up.

"It's OK, you don't have to talk about it if you don't–"

"No no, you two deserve all the information we can give you." Groland leaned in closer to the two, talking almost in a whisper. "They were burning people."

Aella looked just as confused as Alex.

"Burning…people?" Alex asked. "Why? What for?" Groland just shook his head. "I don't know. It didn't happen very often, maybe only two or three times. They would just take a person at random, drag them outside, and burn them to death for seemingly no reason." Groland looked around at the other townsfolk, who were happily eating and chatting away. "It wasn't normal, and until now the people had constantly lived in fear of being their next victim, but thanks to you two, we don't have to be afraid anymore."

Aella picked at her food. _Burning people alive…why would they do such a thing? _

Alex asked another question. "Actually Groland, I've been wondering, where are the malfested now? The ones we defeated yesterday?" Groland made a stern face, and looked Alex in the eyes.

"They hurt a lot of people Alex. They killed members of the town, and they attacked your village numerous times." Groland pointed his head down, and closed his eyes. "The town held a vote to decide what to do with them, and the decision was unanimous. We couldn't risk them hurting anyone ever again." Alex and Aella stayed silent, as Groland continued. "After you two went to sleep last night, we brought them to the town square…" Groland opened his eyes. "…and burned them."

An hour had passed, and everyone had finished eating. The townspeople met with Aella and Alex one last time before they headed out.

"I'm sorry our feast ended on such a sour note you two. I thought you both deserved to know the truth." Groland said.

Aella gave him a reassuring smile. "No, it's fine, really. We appreciate your honesty… Thank you for the food, it was very delicious!" Alex stayed silent, his mind deep in thought.

"Where will you go from here?" Groland asked.

"We're heading north, to the city of Lavaliere to find more information on the malfested." Groland nodded. "Well, just know that wherever you go, you two will always have allies in Ripton. Feel free to come back whenever you need any help." Aella smiled.

"Thank you sir, we appreciate it."

The city of Ripton made sure that Alex and Aella were well stocked with supplies before they left. They were given large amounts of food, change of clothes, two sleeping rolls, a compass, some rope, and a map of the entire continent of Seiroth.

"A map!" Aella exclaimed. "This'll be useful for sure!" Aella opened up the map to see a blank continent with no wording or landmarks written anywhere on it except for a yellow dot that read 'Lavaliere' above it. Groland spoke.

"Unfortunately that's the only map of Seiroth we could find, and it's not really a map since nothing was written down on it before we found it. We figured you could just add to it as you go." Aella smiled brightly before carefully rolling up the map.

"That's alright, that just makes it more fun!" Groland smiled in return. Aella turned. "C'mon Alex, it's time to head out."

"…Alright." Alex was still in a daze. _Ever since breakfast he's been acting like this…and he was so happy this morning._ Alex and Aella said their last goodbyes to the people of Ripton, and as they departed they were bombarded with shouts of thanks and praise for their bravery. Groland yelled to them.

"Thank you Alex and Aella! Thank you for everything!"

It was a little before noon, and Alex and Aella had made their way into another forest. The sun's rays were dulled by the wispy clouds that blanketed the sky. There were no birds in the trees above, and no wildlife seemed to exist. Alex and Aella walked in silence until the city of Ripton disappeared from view. The only sound that could be heard was the blowing of the wind, gently blowing at the grass around the two hero's feet, and the rustling of the trees overhead. Aella glanced behind her towards Alex. He was staring towards the ground as he walked, and he wore a solemn expression on his face. Aella bit her lip. It pained her to see her friend acting this way. Aella stopped walking once they reached a clearing in the forest, causing Alex to almost bump into her.

"Alex, talk to me, what's wrong?" Alex sighed, and sat down on a large boulder that was in the clearing.

"I've never been called a hero before today." Alex ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Aella. "Why do you think they did that? …You know what I'm talking about." Aella sat down next to Alex on the rock.

"You can't blame them Alex, they were scared. Our village, we can defend ourselves against the malfested, Ripton can't. After eight months of torture they didn't want anything to do with those malfested anymore."

"I understand that part, it's just… they could've finished them off any way they wanted. But… but they burned them…how does that make them any better than the malfested?" Aella chewed at her lip. Alex continued. "And when Groland told us the truth, he didn't look sad or remorseful, he looked proud. He was proud of burning other people alive… are we heroes for saving people like that?"

"Alex, don't say that!" Alex flinched. "Alex you've been outside the village for a day, and you're already judging all humanity for what one town has done. These people have had to deal with the malfested for eight years; we've only had to deal with them this month. They don't have walls, they don't have people to protect them, and they're totally defenseless. They realize this, and they're scared Alex." Aella was standing up now. "So yeah, you're going to see people that are desperate to survive, but it's not their fault. The world is a lot worse off than it was eight years ago, and the people have changed because of it. They don't have anyone to rely on…. And that's where we come in Alex, because believe it or not, we might be the only ones that can protect the people now. If we don't then who will?" Alex stared into the distance, listening to Aella as she continued. "If we continue to help those in need, to protect those that can't protect themselves, then they'll turn into the people you saw today at breakfast: happy, smiling people who look out for each other." Alex looked up to the sky and eventually cracked a smile.

"We _could_ do that couldn't we? One person at a time, we could turn people back to who they were before all this. Then we'd really be heroes after that."

Aella smiled. "So you know what we have to do right?"

Alex stood up, looking at the long road ahead. "That's easy!" He grinned. "We're going to change the world!"


	6. Around Every Corner

**6**

**Around Every Corner**

_Ah…those must be the targets then. _Asura thought to himself. He sat there, perched on the branch of a high–up tree. He watched the young boy and girl as they walked away from Ripton, and headed northwards towards the forest. The girl had long flowing pink hair that parted down the middle, and ended past her shoulders. The boy had blue, straight hair with red streaks that ended just past his chin. Both of them matched the descriptions given to him. He grinned, an excited grin as he looked downwards at the unsuspecting travelers.

_Wow, they look even weaker in person! This is gonna be a snap! _ Asura dashed through the trees, his long legs moving him in powerful strides. He kept a careful distance from the two while humming a tune to himself.

_Alright, so how should I do this? Hmmm… quick and clean, slow and painful? _Asura nearly tripped, and fell to his death when he made a revelation._ Wait! I'm looking at this all wrong! Whatever way I kill them, it's going to have to be as over–the–top as humanly possible! _Asura looked around the forest as he pondered the most unnecessary course of action. He noticed a tall tree that was overlooking a nearby clearing. He knew that the two would stop to take a rest at the clearing. There was no reason not to.

_Bingo._

He swiftly hopped up from branch to branch, until he reached the top. Asura crouched, and looked down towards the forest floor. When the two had stopped at the clearing, Asura had to keep himself from laughing at how right he was.

The blue haired boy made a sigh so heavy, that Asura heard it from atop the tree. The boy then plumped down on a nearby rock and sulked, laying his head down in depression. This in turn, caused Asura's smile to fade, as if the boy's mood was somehow contagious.

_Damn… what a downer._ _I almost feel kinda bad for having to take them out….almost. _Asura quickly stood up, bashing his head on a branch. He grasped his head in pain as he mouthed off a series of quiet curses. Asura rubbed his head, running a hand through his jet-black hair._ I'm too tall for my own good. _

He then prepared his weapon, a large, steel ring the size and shape of a hula-hoop. The blade was sharp on the outside, but dull on the inside, and had 3 small handles triangulated on the blade for easier handling.

Asura targeted the blue haired boy first. He figured it'd be easier to kill the depressed looking one first. He looked kinda weak from the get–go, but the fact that he was sad as well was just the icing on the cake. _Man, I really hate to do this but…Aw who am I kidding? I love my job! _With that, Asura bended his legs, and leapt high up into the sky. He performed some acrobatic flips before reaching his peak. Then he dove downward, holding the ring–blade above his head, and aiming straight for the blue haired boy.

Asura zoomed in closer, and closer, he was diving at such a speed that the trees and leaves around him all began to look like a blur. The wind pushed hard against his face, and his smile quickly turned into a grin. This is what he loved most; this is what he lived for, the thrill of the kill. He kept his eyes set on the boy, who was also smiling now.

_See I'm not all bad, now he gets to die with a smile on his face! _Asura was moving like a bullet towards the boy, and was ready to end this in one fell swoop.

The adrenaline was coursing through Asura, to the point where nothing else mattered to him. He no longer noticed the trees overhead or the rocks down below. He didn't hear the wind rushing past him, and he sure as hell didn't care about the conversation going on down below. All that mattered to him, right now, was the boy sitting on the rock.

So when the boy suddenly decided to stand up, Asura was dumb–founded. He missed, and slammed face-first into the boulder. The last thing he heard before blacking out was a girl scream.

* * *

When Asura awoke his vision was blurry, and his head was pounding. There was a constant ringing in his ears, but he could still hear the sounds of muffled chatter.

"Well I think we should untie him."

"Aella, I'm _pretty _sure he just tried to kill me."

_Wait… untie? _Asura tried moving his arms, but couldn't. He had been sloppily tied up in multiple layers of thick rope.

He could hear the sound of a girl laughing. "Wow Alex, I don't think I've ever heard you scream like that before!"

"Y–You saw it! That psycho literally fell out of the sky! How was I supposed to be ready for something like that!?" The boy crossed his arms and looked away, obviously embarrassed. "… And it wasn't a scream–it was a…battle cry."

"That was a _reeeeally_ wimpy sounding battle cry."

The boy sniffled. "I'm not wimpy..."

Asura tried not to snicker, and then immediately frowned.

_How did I get captured by these two clowns? Well, this is embarrassing. _He looked at his surroundings. He was propped up against the boulder he was so-well acquainted with. The two targets were standing on the other side of the clearing, still talking about what to do with him. Asura tried his best to still look unconscious.

"We could just leave him here." The boy said. "I don't think anyone would miss him."

"Alex, we just talked about this. We have to at least talk to him first."

"Aella, look at that guy! He has creep written all over him!"

_Well at least I don't dye my hair ya freak!_ Asura knew he really wasn't dressed as a regular guy. He was wearing bright red bell bottoms, with a pink cotton shirt. He wore a yellow and red sleeveless vest on top of the shirt, and it was adorned with gems and trinkets. He had on pink fingerless gloves, and he _was_ wearing a white blindfold over his face (On his own accord). He looked…strange if anything. _Where'd my blindfold go? _Asura thought. He never liked other people being able to see his eyes, though he quickly gave up.

_I'll worry about it later. Right now I need to find a way outta here. _Asura looked around the clearing. The sun was shining overhead, and there was nothing but thick trees in all directions. Asura smirked.

_If I can just get into the cover of the forest, I'd have the time to get out of these stupid bindings without getting caught._ Asura's arms were stuck to his sides because of the rope, so he only had one way of moving. He slowly but surely inched towards the forest, moving like a caterpillar towards the nearest tree–line.

_I'm almost home free!_ He smiled to himself._ So long losers! _

"Hey!" the boy yelled from behind him. The sound of running footsteps caused Asura's heart to begin racing.

_Crap! Crap! Crap! _Asura began desperately squirming towards the forest as fast as he could, but it was too late. The boy was on him in a second.

"Don't hurt me–I bruise easy!" Asura pleaded.

The boy dragged Asura back towards the rock, and threw him face down on the dirt. Asura groaned to himself, not in pain, but because he knew that he messed up.

_Aw great. _Asura thought._ Now it's really over. _Because now they could see it, the black eye that was inked on his back. The gasps heard from behind him made it very clear.

"Aella…what do we do now?" The boy asked.

"I…I don't know…I wasn't expecting this."

Asura sat himself up and spoke in an irritated voice. "OK, we get it, I'm malfested. Can we please move on?"


	7. Know Thy Enemy

**7**

**Know Thy Enemy**

An uncomfortable silence ensued after the captured malfested's unexpected confession. The malfested was now looking up at Alex and Aella with an annoyed look, he had yellow eyes that seemed to glow, and he was shooting daggers at the two. It was obvious he didn't want to be here.

Alex finally broke that silence, and turned to Aella. "I still think we should leave him here."

"Hold on." Aella whispered. "Alex, this changes everything, for the better!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Aella smiled. "Think about it. We were lucky enough to capture a malfested, alive! This could be our best chance to interrogate the enemy for what he knows."

Alex's eyes lit up. "Whoa…you're right. This is the closest we've been to a malfested when he's not trying to kill us." Alex smirked in excitement at the thought of finally learning more about the enemy. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's shake him down for answers."

Aella made a worried look. "Yeah, it's just that… doesn't this malfested seem a little… different to you?"

It was true. From head to toe, the captive was covered in flashy, colorful clothing, making him look like something out of a circus act. The bright clothing was a change from the usual brown and black clothed malfested Alex was used to. He had black, disheveled hair, contrasting with his yellow eyes, and he _was_ wearing a white blindfold on his face, but Alex took it off after Aella had tied him up. For pants, he was wearing bright-red bell bottoms, which were really–

"Hey, buddy, my eyes are up here." The malfested spoke.

"W-what?"

"Don't play dumb, I see you over there undressing me with your eyes. Sorry, but I'm not interested creep."

Alex grimaced from the thought forced into his head, and turned back to Aella. "I don't know Aella, he's about as wonky as the rest of them." Aella walked over to the malfested and crouched down so that they were eye level. The malfested raised an eye brow, waiting to see what Aella would do. She smiled and raised up her hand.

"Hi!" She said cheerfully. The malfested was caught off guard by this, and looked towards Alex, but he looked just as confused and shrugged. The malfested looked back to Aella before responding.

"Uh…hi?"

"I'm Aella, and this is Alex. What's your name?"

The malfested had enough. "Yep, this is weird. Can I go now?" He pleaded.

Alex stomped towards him. "We could drop you off at Ripton if you want. Great town,–loves malfested. You'd be welcomed with open ar–" Aella narrowed her eyes at Alex, making him stop.

She then looked back to the malfested. "Please, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to know why your people keep attacking innocents."

The malfested looked appalled. "You people!? Whoa, whoa, whoa lady, let's not get carried away! I ain't affiliated with any of those guys you may have met in Ripton over there."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Because a few minutes ago you tried to kill me, and I _distinctly_ remember the malfested in Ripton trying to do the same thing!"

Aella looked at the malfested with a fake, saddened expression. "Is this true? Did you really try to kill my friend just now?"

The malfested looked back and forth between his captors. "Well…I mean yeah I was _gonna_, but–"

"Aha! I knew it!" Alex shouted.

"Hey, it wasn't personal or anything, I'm just doing job."

Aella looked disgusted. "Your job is to murder innocent people?"

He smiled. "As long as it pays."

She shook her head before standing up. "So you're a mercenary… which means someone wanted us both dead." Aella stared with her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

The malfested shrugged his shoulders. "Hey don't look at me, I don't know who wanted you two dead, I just do the job and collect the pay."

Alex smirked. "For a mercenary, you really suck at your job."

"Whatever. If you hadn't stood up, your head would be on a platter right now."

Alex walked towards the malfested's weapon, which was lying on the ground some feet away. He picked it up by a handle and began inspecting it, turning it and holding it up to the light. "How were you gonna kill me with something like with this?"

The malfested smirked. "How about you untie me and I'll show ya?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, and the two gave the malfested a stare that seemed to last forever.

The captive finally looked away. "Hey, hey, cut it out OK? I'm sorry!" He then gave a sly smile. "Look, I can tell we came off to a rough start, so let's just start over alright? You two probably got questions, so get to asking, I'll tell you whatever you want, that's how nice I am."

Aella stood up, looking down at the malfested. "You can start by telling us who you are."

The malfested's face slumped. "Seriously? Here I am, offering you the secrets of the universe, and you're worried about–"

"Just tell us your name!" Alex yelled with impatience.

The malfested sighed. "Well you don't have to be a jerk about it. The name's Asura, and yeah, I'm a merc for hire."

"How long have you been following us?" Alex asked.

"Uh…about an hour I guess? It was getting down to Ripton to find you guys that really took me a while."

"And you say you don't know who wanted us dead?"

"Don't know, don't care." Alex and Aella traded looks Aella spoke.

"OK then… Tell us about the malfested." Asura raised an eyebrow. Aella explained further.

"We want to know why people like you keep attacking our village."

"Holy crap, you're like a broken record! I already told you, I'm not with those guys! What they do on their free time is up to them."

Alex spoke up. "Then who are you with?"

"No one! I'm hired help genius, I work alone."

"Then who are _they_, the ones that _do_ keep attacking innocents?" Asura looked surprised.

"What the–Have you guys been living under a rock? Malfested have been around for like, 8 years now! Are you guys telling me you don't know _anything_ about them?" Alex and Aella looked at each other before Alex answered embarrassingly.

"Uh… we were raised in a small village."

Asura rolled his eyes. "Look, the guys that attacked your village were probably the same people holed up in Ripton, right? If that's the case then you were probably dealing with the King's Malfested."

Aella raised an eyebrow. "The King's Malfested?"

Asura looked appalled. "Please tell me you know who the king is!"

"Yes we know him! King Varius, 'ruler of Seiroth'… We just didn't think he had anything to do with the malfested."

Brave Leaf had always been an independent village. This was because it was located so far away from the king's rule. The King never seemed to care about Brave Leaf, and likewise, the villagers didn't care about the king. Brave Leaf always seemed to carry on well enough without his rule, but because of this, Brave Leaf was always the last to know about events revolving around the king or the capitol.

"So what _does_ the king have to do with any of this?" Aella asked.

"Ain't it obvious? It's the king that's calling all the shots. He commands the malfested." Alex and Aella stared in disbelief at Asura, who looked bored out of his mind. "Seriously, how do you guys not know this?"

Alex's eyes widened. "I…I don't understand. Why would the king command malfested to kill other people?"

Asura looked up. "Souls."

"Souls? What the heck are you talking about?"

"UGH! Look, as fun as it would be for me to sit here and explain what's been happening the last eight years, I really don't have time for that! It's your own village's fault for staying in the dark for so long!"

Aella spoke up. "It's because we've been 'in the dark' why our village is still standing while others have fallen. The malfested attacked our village numerous times, but we fought them off every time. We were prepared."

Asura looked intrigued. "Your village is still standing huh? I guess that would explain the recent attacks then."

"It doesn't make any sense. Why is the king doing this?" Alex asked.

"Look, I don't really know the king's 'agenda' alright? But I'll do you both a solid and give you the basics." Aella and Alex nodded, listening intently. "The king controls the malfested, but not _all_ malfested work for the king."

"What do you mean by that?" Alex asked.

"What I mean is that there are some malfested, like _moi, _that may have decided to work for themselves, or someone else totally different from the king."

"Why don't _you_ work for the king?" Aella asked.

Asura made an uppity face. "Because I don't want to, alright? Moving on." Aella dropped the subject, and Asura continued. "All the malfested you two have seen up to this point, have been a type called, 'forged' malfested."

Alex groaned. "Great, there are types now? Just how many are there?"

"Calm down drama queen, there are only two kinds of malfested. Anyway, forged malfested are pretty much the bread of the bunch. They're stronger than the average human, and about twice as deadly." Asura smirked. "You've seen these guys before, so do I really have to go on?"

Aella looked curious. "Is that what type you are? A forged malfested?"

"That's right."

"How did you… become like that exactly?"

Asura's expression dropped to a frown. "And that brings us to the _other_ type of malfested: The 'Core' malfested… Those guys are the strongest of the strong. If you see them, they're usually commanding the lesser, forged malfested. Unlike the forged malfested, these guys are total slaves to the king, and follow his every command to the letter, without second thought. Their power is unrivaled–sometimes almost godlike, trust me, you don't want to mess with them.

_Godlike? _Alex thought. _Does something that powerful really exist? …No, no that's impossible. This weirdo's just trying to scare us._

Asura continued. "But most importantly, they're the ones that created all the forged malfested you see today."

Alex snapped out of his thoughts. "Wait, created? What do you mean by that?"

"Malfestation isn't a disease, or a sickness, or anything like that, it's a curse. And sometimes when a core malfested finds a human they think has the 'potential' to join the king's cause, they'll give them the curse of Malfestation themselves." Asura began to grin as he spoke. "After being cursed, the victim's head gets filled with thoughts of murder…and bloodshed, until they just can't keep it inside anymore. That bloodlust becomes a part of them, makes them stronger, until they've turned into a full-fledged killing machine." Asura regained his composure. "And just like that, you got a forged malfested." Alex and Aella were silent. They were trying to comprehend what the malfested had just told them. Asura patiently waited with a smile on his face for the reality to sink in.

Aella finally spoke. "So all those malfested back at Ripton… and the ones who attacked our village… they all used to be normal people!?"

Asura flashed a toothy smile. "Bingo! Hey you guys aren't as dumb as you look!"

"That…That's terrible! So the core malfested just go around turning innocent people into killers!?"

Asura laughed heartily. "Why do you sound so sorry for them?"

"What are you talking about!? You were human before all this too, right? I know you didn't ask for this! How can you be OK with being turned into something you're not?"

Asura grinned. "Look girly, you don't know who I was before I was malfested. For all you know, I could've been a killer _before_ all this!"

Aella paused, and looked at Asura with solemn eyes. "But you weren't though…were you?" Asura's smile faded.

". . .W–Who cares about all that!?" Asura stammered. "I'm a malfested now, ain't like I can change it!"

Alex looked just as sympathetic, and spoke in almost a whisper. "But if you could?"

Asura looked angry now. "_But if I could?_ Don't be stupid, you can't just change back to being a regular person. Once you're malfested it's a done deal."

Aella shouted. "Don't say that! There… there still might be hope for you!" Asura looked towards the ground, speaking in an inaudible tone.

"… Shut up."

Alex stepped forward. "She's right Asura, we're heading to Lavaliere to meet with an alchemist who knows about the malfested, maybe she–"

"Shut up." This time the two heard Asura clearly. A silence ensued, and the two looked disheartened.

Aella stepped towards Asura. "Asura please, if you come with us, we could find a way to change you–"

"SHUT UP!" Asura yelled through gritted teeth. Aella jumped back.

Something was wrong.

The whole atmosphere suddenly went cold, and the malfested was breathing heavily. Alex eyed the malfested with caution, and was confused with what he saw.

_What…what are you? _Alex thought. Because right as Alex was watching him, the malfested's eyes slowly changed from a bright yellow, to a deep purple.

Asura continued to shout, struggling against his binds as he talked. "You idiots don't know what you're talking about! Change me back?! You don't know anything about me, but you wanna change me back!? I don't need your fucking pity! _Change me back_–HA! Becoming a malfested was the best thing that ever happened to me! I can do things you wimps could only dream of! You think I'd take it all back just because you dumbasses feel sorry for me!?" Asura began to stand, even though his arms were still tied. "I'm just about done playing nice with you chumps! I can't believe I wasted even a second talking to you wastes of space!" Asura's shaking continued, until a muffled snap pierced the air, and the rope around Asura's arms fell to the ground.

Alex and Aella glanced at each other, and the two began to slowly reach for their weapons.

_OK_…_Don't panic. _Alex thought. _His weapon's still behind us, so as long as we keep him from– _Alex's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rattling metal. Alex looked behind him to see the malfested's ring blade shaking wildly on the ground. The weapon suddenly flew past Alex's face, and into Asura's hands. Asura looked up with a toothy grin, and began to chuckle before speaking.

"You know… they say if you love your job… you'll never have to work a day in your life." Asura gripped the bladed part of his weapon so hard, that his hands began to bleed. "And I love my job… so… so much."


	8. Wheel of Death

**8**

**Wheel of Death**

Alex and Aella drew their weapons, but the malfested simply stood there, unmoving. The trees overhead were as silent as the three fighters down below. The birds had stopped chirping, and the sun was still beating down, beaming rays of light through the leaves. In any other situation, the place would seem beautiful, but the chuckling malfested standing across from the two fighters cast an eerie mood.

Aella tightened her grip on her tonfas.

_Alright Aella…you got this. This guy's just another malfested like the rest of them. Besides… you're in good hands._ Aella looked towards Alex, who was standing on her left. She gave him a quick nod, and the two dashed towards Asura, weapons at the ready.

Asura bended his knees, and launched himself high into the air. A shadow danced wildly in the sky, performing a series of acrobatics before diving straight down at Alex. Alex met the attack with the blunt of his sword, but Asura came down with such force that his whole body was lowered from the strike.

When Alex tried to recover, he was met with a knee to the face, sending him right back up with a bloody nose. He clutched his face in pain before wiping away the blood.

He ran towards Asura a second time, and swung his sword. Asura smiled as he swayed away from the attacks without even trying, every slash seeming to miss by just a hair.

Aella ran behind Asura, and swept at his legs with her foot. The malfested's legs flew into the air, but his smile never faded. He planted a hand on the ground before falling, and vaulted back on his feet. Asura, gripping his ring-blade in his right hand, slashed at Aella's head, but she ducked ahead of time, and raised her body upwards to slash across Asura's chest, ripping through his clothes, and sending an arc of blood flying through the air. Asura jumped back, but he backed up right into Alex, who sent a punch straight into the middle of his back. Asura's whole body arched forward, and Alex slammed his fist on top of his head, sending him rolling. Asura recovered mid–roll, and jumped to his feet, he was now a good distance away from the two fighters. He smiled and licked the blood from his lips.

"Wow… It's been a while since I've tasted my own blood… How about I show you two a neat trick?" With that, Asura gripped the ring blade in his right hand, brought his arm back, and threw his weapon up into the air. The two fighters flinched when the ring began to float in midair in a straight up position. Alex stood there, his mouth hung open at what he was seeing.

"How…But that's impossible!"

Asura grinned. "You haven't seen nothing yet." With that, Asura flicked the floating ring, causing it to spin rapidly. Still spinning, the weapon lowered itself to the ground, spitting up dirt and sediment as it carved into the earth. Suddenly, the ring launched itself towards Aella, while Alex still tried to comprehend exactly what was going on.

Aella was just as confused._ What the heck's going on!? This kind of stuff shouldn't be possible! _And yet there it was, tearing through the earth like an iron wheel. The ring-blade zoomed towards Aella as she brought up her tonfas in defense. Something was off about the spinning weapon, apart from the fact it was moving on its own. It was off-course, leaning towards the left a lot. That's when she saw who the ring was really headed for.

"Alex, move!" But it was too late. He had only just noticed what was going on, and the blade was moving at such a speed, he couldn't even bring up his arms to defend himself. Aella shoved Alex out of the way, causing him to sprawl on the ground out of harm's way. But she paid for it dearly. Cold steel dug into flesh, as the ring–blade ripped through Aella's side. She roared in pain, the momentum of the strike turning her whole body around.

"Aella!" Alex yelled. Even with the screeching of the ring–blade, Asura's laughter echoed through the clearing.

Aella gritted her teeth, holding her side in pain. She made a quick glance to her side, the amount of blood made her flinch. The whining in the air continued as the ring turned around for another strike. This time, it was coming straight for Aella.

"Dammit! It's coming back around!" Alex yelled, clambering up to his feet. "Aella you have to move!" Aella struggled to move out the way, but even the slightest movements made her skin tear, sending up jolts of pain. The screeching in the air grew louder and louder as the ring-blade neared its target.

Aella panicked.

She threw her whole body to the side in hopes of dodging the attack. She wasn't as lucky. The ring ripped through Aella's leg as she was air-borne, causing her to flop to the ground with a crash. The impact sent shock waves of pain through her whole body, and the bleeding only worsened. Aella was now sprawled out on the ground, the ring–blade turning around yet again for another pass. It spewed up dirt as it revved in place, before launching itself at Aella again. Intense pain nailed her body to the ground. She was breathing heavily, and could only watch as the ring–blade carved a straight path towards her face.

A pain–filled scream pierced the air. The ring–blade wobbled, and bounced off course, falling lifelessly to the ground a few inches from Aella. She looked up. Alex had stabbed Asura right through the chest, and the malfested's blood began to pool up, staining through his clothes. Asura's expression was blank, and his mouth hung open, his whole body slowly going limp. The malfested then smiled before lifting his head, and whispering something to Alex. This caused him to remove his sword, grab him by the collar, and punch him in the face. Again, and again. Alex showed no remorse for the malfested as he beat Asura to a pulp, blood shooting out the malfested's nose with every strike. Aella tried to speak, but no words came out. Her vision blurred, until it darkened to black.


	9. Let My Soul Burn

**9**

**Let my Soul Burn**

_What have I done? _Alex's blood-stained hands trembled in front of him. _What's wrong with me? _He was sitting against a large tree at the edge of the forest. The sun was finally beginning to set, and the sky was slowly turning bright orange. He had been sitting next to Aella's unconscious body for an hour now, hoping she would just spring back to life in an instant.

Her wounds were gruesome after the fight, Aella had blacked out and she was losing blood fast. Alex had torn off the sleeves of his clothes and tried to patch her up as best as he could, but it was obviously not done by a professional. Aella lost a lot of blood in the clearing, and she had lost even more while Alex carried her away from the fight.

Alex continued to tremble. _Why did that happen? . . . Dammit! Why is any of this happening!? This isn't right!_ He looked at Aella's wounds. _That . . . That's my fault. She's bleeding because of me. . . It's all my fault–I . . . I can't do anything right can I? _

A groan rose from the ground, as Aella's face scrunched up in pain. She slowly opened her eyes before uttering a whisper. " . . . Alex?"

Alex looked down at his friend, and did his best to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. "I . . . I thought I lost you." He spoke in a trembling voice.

She smiled. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Alex turned away from her, covering his face in shame. Aella looked up with worry. "Hey . . . what's wrong?"

". . . How can you just smile like that? How can you even stand to be around me after what I did back there?"

"Huh? ... Why would you say that?"

"Aella, you risked your life for me back there. If I'd just been more careful, you wouldn't have had to put yourself in danger like that." He shut his eyes. "And . . . after what happened back there. . . if you want me to head back to Brave Leaf, I don't blame you . . ."

Aella sat up, giving him a reassuring smile. "Hey, hey–don't talk like that. That's what friends are for, right? They protect each other. I know you'd do the same for me if–"

"Aella, please! . . . Let's face it, I'm no hero. I don't care what the people in Ripton say. If I were a hero, I would've tried to protect you the same way you protected me today." Alex held his head low. ". . . Damn. The elder was right. I _am_ a liability… just more dead weight."

Aella grabbed Alex's shoulders, making him look at her. "No you're not! Alex how could you say something like that?! You've protected me since the beginning. You actually spoke out for me in Brave Leaf, when no one else would. That took a lot of courage! You saved my life back at Ripton when you stopped that hooded man from attacking me. The fact that you decided to come with me in the first place says it all though! Whether you believe it or not, you're a good person Alex, but you're an even greater friend. No matter what happens, I won't regret taking you with me."

Alex smiled at the kind words given to him, but his smile soon faded. Because he remembered, right when Aella was about to be sliced by that wheel for the third time, he had stabbed Asura at the last second, saving her life. That should've been the end of it, but then _that _happened.

"Look Aella, I know you saw me. You . . . saw what I did to Asura."

"Don't worry about that. You were angry, OK? I understand. There's nothing to be ashamed of in that." Aella's expression grew brighter. "Besides, malfested are hard to kill, remember? A few punches probably aren't gonna do the job."

Alex finally looked up at Aella, but with surprise. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"I mean, I just don't think he would die from a few punches to the face, even if you _do_ hit pretty hard. He _is_ malfested after all."

Alex's expression changed to one of fear. "So . . . you _didn't_ see it? Y–you didn't see what really happened afterwards?"

"Wait, what happened after? . . . What are you talking about?"

_Oh no._ Alex thought. _She doesn't know. She must have passed out right before it happened. How am I supposed to explain this to her? _Alex flinched when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Alex, please. You can tell me anything_._ What happened back there?"

Alex took a deep breath before he began. "After I… stabbed him_…_Asura said something to me."

"What? What did he say?"

Alex just shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind. "It–It made me angry, so I started . . . punching him… again, and again. I don't know what came over me. I've never done anything so brutal before, and I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it, but . . . I think I've done something far worse."

"What happened? Talk to me Alex!"

"It was an accident Aella–I swear!"

"Alex, you're scaring me! What did you do!?"

He ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. "When I was punching Asura, I wanted him to die . . . more than anything else Aella, I wanted him to die. I don't know how I could've missed it at first but, before I knew it, Asura, he . . . he was burning . . . right there in my hands."

Aella flinched. "What!? W–what do you mean?!"

"I mean that his body was on fire! I–I swear I couldn't even feel the flames! Aella–I had no idea what was happening!"

"So what did you do?!"

"When I finally saw what was happening, I panicked and threw the body away from me." Alex began to tremble where she sat. "When I let go of him, the flames on his body, they just… vanished . . . It was me Aella, just like what Groland said happened in Ripton . . . I was burning him."

Aella looked just as frightened as Alex. The two sat in eerie silence until Aella finally spoke.

"C'mon Alex, there's no reason to go and scare me like that." Alex blinked in confusion as Aella continued. "I mean, he's a malfested right? There's a whole lot we still don't know about them. That whole burning thing could've been another one of his tricks!"

Alex wasn't convinced. "Asura said something about a curse earlier. Aella, what if I'm–"

"Don't even talk like that! I mean seriously Alex, he's a malfested, and a crazy one at that. We shouldn't take anything that guy says to heart. All that talk about the king, and curses . . . Let's just keep heading for Lavaliere so we can get this all figured out. The alchemist there will tell us everything, but until then, please, stop talking like that."

Alex stayed silent, nodding his head in agreement. Aella looked towards the horizon. The sun had finished setting, and the stars were beginning to appear. "It's getting pretty late."

Alex responded without looking. "Yeah…We should probably set up camp here until the morning." He then turned to Aella. "Uh . . . Are you sure you'll still be able to move OK with those wounds?"

"Yeah, I think so… Thanks for patching me up by the way."

"No problem, I know you'd do the same for me."

* * *

It soon turned to night, and the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls filled the air. Alex had pulled out the sleeping rolls Groland had given them, and set out only one for Aella.

"You're not going to sleep?" She asked.

"I still feel pretty bad about what happened to you back there, so let me keep watch tonight."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. You deserve the rest, so don't worry about it." Aella smiled at him before turning away in her bedroll. Alex sat there, leaning against the large tree while Aella drifted off to sleep a few feet away from him. The light of the moon poured down on the forest floor, casting a dim glow on the two fighters.

Hours passed as Alex sat there staring towards the moon. He liked looking at the moon, especially a full one like tonight. It always calmed him down . . . helped him sleep. Alex shook his head, pushing away any thoughts of rest. He began thinking to himself in an attempt to stay awake.

_What a day . . . to think, just this morning, we were all just eating breakfast in Ripton. _He brought up his hand, holding it up to the moonlight. _What if Aella was wrong? What if I really … no, don't think like that. You gotta stay positive Alex. We won today…yeah, that's right! So far we've beaten every malfested that got in our way! We'll only get stronger because of it, and then we'll really put a stop to this! _Alex smiled towards the sky, and slowly closed his eyes. _As long as we have each other, everything's going to be just fine. _And with that, Alex drifted off to sleep.

He thought he heard the sound of rustling in the bushes next to him. Alex cracked an eyelid ever so slightly, suddenly regretting that he went to sleep when he was supposed to be keeping watch. He laughed to himself when he saw that it was just Aella shuffling in her bed roll. _Wow, I almost got scared there. Stop being such a wimp Alex and go to sleep._ With that he closed his eyes again, and continued his slumber. The shuffling from Aella didn't seem to stop, increasing in volume over time, but Alex was far too tired to investigate any further. The shuffling went on for a while, until Alex felt a familiar warmth on his fingertips. It was wet . . . and warm. Alex just couldn't put his finger on what it was. He opened his eyes. Whatever it was, it had covered his entire hand. He brought his hand up to the light, and was startled to see that it was blood. There was blood pooled up all around him, though he knew it wasn't his. He looked on over to Aella's bedroll, where he saw that horrid sight.

Aella was being held up by the neck, her bloodied, lifeless body shining in the moonlight. Blood was pouring out her throat, drenching her clothes. The sound of blood dripping was the only sound in the forest. Her eyes were still closed, and her body hung limp. Alex whispered Aella's name, praying for any kind of response.

She didn't move, and she didn't breathe.

Alex wanted to yell, but nothing would come out. Tears began to run down his cheeks as he dared to look at the figure that was holding Aella. A grin showed itself in the darkness, followed by a laugh he knew all too well. Aella's blood trailed down the man's arms as it continued to drip to the ground. The figure finally looked towards Alex and spoke. "I told you, didn't I?" His yellow eyes pierced through the darkness. "If you don't end up killing her . . . then I will!"


	10. City of Ashes

**10**

**City of Ashes**

The sun slowly rose over the trees as the birds began chirping again. Alex awoke with a start, panting heavily against the same tree from last night. He looked around frantically, his heart still racing. He brought up a hand only to see that there was no blood. There wasn't any blood around him either.

Alex sighed._ It was just a dream. _He closed his eyes, slumping back against the tree. _It was all just a dream. _He smiled as he slowly opened his eyes. _Thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do if–_ His expression changed to one of pure terror as he looked on to Aella's bedroll.

It was empty.

There was fresh blood splattered on the fabrics of the sheets, and Aella was nowhere to be found. Alex crawled towards the bedroll, hoping he would just wake up from this nightmare and be done with it, but as he held the blood–soaked sheets in his hands, he knew all too well that this was real. And now Aella was gone.

Alex punched the ground beneath him, sending harsh pain through his arm even though he didn't make so much as a dent in the earth. He had given himself one task out of self–guilt, and he had failed. He had been foolish, and only the people around him seemed to pay for it. Alex closed his eyes shut as he–

"Oh, there you are Alex." Said a familiar voice.

Alex stayed there on his hands and knees, staring at the ground in disbelief. The voice behind him continued. "I made us both something to eat before we headed back out, but when I saw that you weren't still snoring next to that tree you like so much, I kinda got worried!" Alex didn't even have to look back. He could _hear_ the smile on Aella's face as she talked. The sound of footsteps increased in volume as his friend walked closer. "Oh . . . you saw the blood. When I was getting up from bed, I think a wound opened up. But the bleeding stopped so I think I'm alright to go." The footsteps stopped right behind him. "Um … What are you doing?"

Alex stood up without turning around. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Yep, just decided to start packing up the sleeping mats before we leave. Eager to head out, you know?"

"Alright, well breakfast is over there when you're hungry. Don't take too long." And with that, the footsteps departed away from him. Alex smiled and looked up towards the sky, hastily wiping a tear from his face.

_Thank you . . . Thank you for letting her be safe._

* * *

The two enjoyed a quick breakfast before leaving for Lavaliere. They had finally broken out of the forest to find themselves in a grassy field, the view stretching for miles. The sky was finally open to see, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Alex sighed in relief. He was just about done with this forest. The two continued on a dirt path that stretched on towards the horizon. Aella walked ahead of Alex, her eyes glued to the compass as they walked. Alex looked at Aella's wounds with worry, wondering if those bandages would hold together until Lavaliere.

He sped up his walk until he was walking alongside her. "So how long until we reach Lavaliere?"

Aella put the compass back in her satchel. "If we just keep heading North–East we should be there by . . ." She counted with her fingers. "–The day after tomorrow."

"Great." Alex pointed to her wounds. "Are you sure you're gonna be OK until we get there?"

"I'll be fine."

"Just making sure you can still hold your own in a fight, that's all."

Aella smiled. "I could put you on the ground right now if that'd be proof enough for you."

"I'm good, thanks." The sun was directly overhead, beaming down on the two as they walked. Luckily, the cool breeze kept either of them from breaking into a bad sweat. Alex liked moments like this, when everything was calm and comfortable. Though eventually, the grass at their feet began to recede as they moved forward, until the ground was just barren, brown earth all around them. The cool breezes disappeared, and the sun was unrelenting in its blaze. They came to a point where all the plant life around them had vanished, and pebbles and gravel filled their place.

Alex had slowed down a while ago, lagging behind Aella. The heat was starting to get to him, though if Aella was uncomfortable, she made sure not to show it. He continued to trudge on behind Aella, not even noticing that she had stopped moving. He clumsily bumped into her.

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry! Wasn't paying attention. Why'd you stop?"

She pointed ahead. "Don't you see that over there?" Alex squinted his eyes, struggling to look past the heat waves. There was some kind of structure up ahead, and the dirt path seemed to lead right to it. It might have been another settlement, but it was impossible to tell exactly what it was from here.

Alex's face turned into a frown. "Oh . . . Yeah, I see it."

"What are you so bummed out about?"

"Don't you think it'd be better if we just, I don't know . . . went _around_ whatever that is?"

Aella raised an eyebrow. "And why would we do that?"

"You remember what happened at Ripton, we got attacked! And as fun as that was, I don't feel like getting jumped by any more malfested."

"So, what? We're just going to skip every town we see until we hit Lavaliere? I don't think so. Besides, if it _is _like Ripton, then that means there might be people that need our help, and we can't turn a blind eye to that."

"But what if there's nobody there? What if it's just another malfested den?"

"Alex, you can't live in fear of the malfested. We gotta continue the mission, and going around would just make getting to Lavaliere take even longer. So let's go."

Aella began walking, but Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aella, I really don't think we should go there. With your wounds, we really can't risk–"

Aella shook Alex off. "Stop being such a wimp Alex!" Alex flinched from the outburst. "Look, I understand that you're worried about me, and I'm grateful, but I'm not gonna let you keep me from doing what I have to do just because you're afraid."

"Afraid?! I'm not afraid of any malfested!"

"Well you sure are acting like it! If there're malfested there, then we'll deal with them as they come, but following this path is the quickest way to Lavaliere."

"Look Aella, I don't know if you've noticed, but the malfested are only gonna get stronger the farther we go, so why you want to fight every single one along the way is beyond me! I'm trying to protect you!"

"Protect me?! The only reason I'm wounded in the first place is from protecting _you_!" Alex was left speechless at the comment. It was true. No matter how much he tried to convince himself that he was there to defend her, Aella got hurt because of him. She seemed to regret what she had said. "I . . . I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean it like that."

"I–I know, I'm . . . Let's just keep moving." The two continued to walk in silence to this unknown destination.

* * *

When the two finally reached the structure, they found something neither of them expected. The path led to a seemingly uninhabited city. It was something different from what Ripton first appeared. The town was composed of wooden houses similar to Ripton, but unlike the prior town, the buildings were totally destroyed. Every window was shattered, broken glass and twisted metal littered the ash covered ground. Buildings lay barren and charred, with nothing left inside but piles of smoldering ashes, some were still smoking. Entire sections of buildings were missing, as if obliterated by some kind of explosion. The whole place reeked of smoke, and seemed inhospitable.

The two fighters had to shield their faces from the ash that was wildly encircling the air. Aella took the time to crouch down and inspect one of the destroyed houses. She rummaged through some wreckage before pulling something out. It was a stuffed animal, a bunny to be exact. The soft, ash covered doll was mostly intact. Its ears flopped happily with every movement, despite its surroundings. Nothing was torn or ripped, and the only noticeable flaw was that it was missing a blue button for its left eye. Aella solemnly placed the soot–covered bunny back where she found it before standing back up.

Alex stepped towards her. "I think this–" Without warning, a loud crash erupted further inside the ruined city, followed by the piercing sound of wood scraping on metal. A cloud of ash plumed out of the ruins of a destroyed home followed by a man who ran out, panting and wheezing. He was wearing tattered, grey leather all over his body, which was skinny to the bone. He had short blonde hair that was speckled with ash, as well as a sharp, angular face. His brow was filled with sweat, and he was gripping the right arm of his coat, which was soaked in blood. He keeled over, panting heavily before frantically looking all around him.

"HEEEEEEEELP! Anyone, please! W–we need help!" The stranger continued to yell to anyone that would listen. He didn't seem to see the two fighters, who had taken the time to hide behind one of the buildings. Aella quickly looked towards Alex, who feared that she was going to give him the 'I told you so' shtick.

"He looks pretty scared." She whispered. "But we can't be too sure. You stay here. I'm gonna go out there and try to talk to him. If things get bad–"

Alex nodded. "I'll be out there in a second, got it." Aella nodded in return before standing up to walk out in the open.

She then addressed the man, yelling from a distance. "Are you injured? How can I help?" She then began walking towards the figure. Alex peeked out past a corner to see what was happening. Aella was talking to the man, who looked joyous that there was actually someone out here, but still talked with a sense of urgency, moving his uninjured arm in an animated fashion as he talked. It was hard to make out exactly what they were saying from here, the blowing of the wind blocked out all other sound. Alex tried to concentrate on exactly what they were saying.

"They're trapped! They're gonna die without help! Please, you have to help me!" With that the man ran back through the alley he came from, disappearing behind another structure. Aella tried to stop him, before quickly running after him. _Dammit! What the heck is she doing?_ Alex quickly stood up and followed Aella through the alley the two had run through. He darted past a corner, looking around for wherever Aella could have gone. He saw a flash of pink from around the corner. _There! _Alex ran towards that direction, keeping fast enough that he wouldn't lose her, but slow enough so that if the man was still around, he wouldn't know he was there. Stealth was their only advantage right now. It was Alex's only trump card if things got hazy, and he wasn't gonna let that go to waste.

Alex continued chasing after Aella. It seemed like the man was leading her around the whole town. Alex rounded another corner when he realized he had no idea where she could've gone. Alex was surrounded by burned–black houses, as he looked all around him for Aella. He had lost her. Alex flinched when a loud *bump* came from one of the houses down the road.

This house was different from the others. It was still burned, and It was covered in ash, but unlike all the other houses, it was still some–what intact. The walls stood erect, with only a few planks of wood missing here and there. There was a porch leading up to the door, which was closed shut, but the fact it had a door at all set it apart from the other buildings. Alex pondered to himself if Aella could've gone inside there, and that's when he saw it. Through one of the first floor windows on the front side of the house, there looked something out of the ordinary. It was too far away to tell exactly what it was, but it was white, with an angular shape sitting in the windowsill. When Alex discovered what it was, his heart skipped a beat.

It was a face. And it was staring right at him.

The pale face began creeping away from the window ever so slowly, watching Alex the entire time before disappearing into the darkness.

_That wasn't Aella. _Alex grudgingly stepped towards the house, its size seeming to loom over him as he edged ever closer towards the door. The wind howled louder and louder with every step he took. With one hand on the hilt of his sword, he placed a hand on the silver knob of the door, before slowly opening it. He stepped inside.

The sound of the wind vanished as soon as he stepped inside. He was in a short hallway, the inside of the house just a burnt as the outside. Alex closed the door behind him. It was dark, and there was no light in the hallway. The only sounds now were the creaking of the floorboards, but all else was silent. There were three doorways, one on his right, and two on his left. There was also a staircase at the end of the hall leading downwards. Alex looked to the doorway on his right and gulped.

_That's where the face was looking from. _

He gripped his sword tightly in his hand as he walked towards the doorway with extreme caution. The boards creaked loudly with every heart–pounding step he took. The door was already open, as yellow light from the window peered through on the floor. Alex took a deep breath before quickly jumping around the corner with his weapon at the ready, only to see that no one was there. The area around the window was empty except for ash. Alex sighed. He knew someone was here.

Alex walked out of the room before walking down the rest of the hall. He looked in the two rooms on the left, but both were empty as well. Alex finally stopped at the stairs, staring down towards the pitch black of what he assumed was the basement. He didn't have a choice. If Aella was inside, he had to make sure she was alright. He gripped the hand–rail and slowly descended into the darkness. Rough wood broke under his fingers, brittle and dry. The stairs went down in a spiral, wrapping around a stone beam until hitting the bottom. When Alex finally stepped toward the bottom of the stairs he saw something on the basement floor. Pink hair was splattered on the ground in a fan shape. There lied Aella, her whole body was sprawled on the ground and unmoving. Alex began to step toward her when the sound of fast, heavy footsteps rushed at him from behind. He turned around with a start, grabbing hold of his sword, but it was too late. A blow to the head was all it took, and all turned to black.


	11. Off Course

**11**

**Off Course**

Alex's head crashed against splintered wood, waking him from his slumber. He swore through gritted teeth. _Damn, that hurt!_ Alex instinctively tried to rub his aching head, only to discover that his hands were bound behind his back, the rope digging into his flesh as he struggled against his bindings. The wood beneath him was shaking violently, causing Alex's body to rock and tumble. He blinked several times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light, but it was no use. The light never came. He felt an unfamiliar, rough fabric covering his face.

_Am I blindfolded? ... Where am I?_

Alex's forehead crashed onto wood again. "Ow! What the Hell!?" Suddenly the rumbling underneath Alex stopped, and the momentum sent him sliding until he slammed into something solid.

"Hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?! Why'd you stop?!" an unfamiliar voice yelled.

"I thought I heard you say something." A deeper voice replied.

"No. I didn't."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"Yeah whatever, just go a little slower would ya? The last thing we need is busted merchandise because you decided to crash the cart, and I sure as hell ain't carrying these chumps."

"Sorry Lenny, I'll go slower." With that, the rumbling under Alex continued, but it was much less severe than before. _Wait a minute, just_ _who the hell were those people? Where do they plan on taking me– Where's Aella?!_

The deeper voice continued. "Hey Lenny, don't you think the boss will be mad that we only got two this time?"

"Oh yeah, about that." A loud smack popped in the air causing Alex to flinch, as well as the whole cart to rock heavily. "That's for not telling me there were two of them, dumbass! You got any idea how freaked out I was when I saw that kid through the window? You only got one job–why didn't you say anything?!"

"I'm sorry Lenny, I–I didn't know!" Both of the captors were silent for a while, and Alex could hear the roaring of the wind causing the cart to creak.

". . . Whatever, at least you dealt with him when you did . . . and to answer your question: No, he won't be mad."

"He won't? . . . W–why not?"

"Because we just caught ourselves the jackpot, that's why!" The man gave out an annoyingly hoarse laugh that shook Alex more than the cart did.

"Jack–pot? . . . But it's only 2."

"Yeah, but that don't matter, because in case you haven't noticed, these two are special."

"Special? How come?"

"C'mon man, just look at em." Alex felt the cart begin to slow to a stop. "Hey! You may be dumb as bricks but you can still multitask, keep moving. Now, what is it about these two that make em stand out from the rest of the crowd, huh?"

"… Uh…I…"

"C'mon, you can do it. Use that pat of butter you call a brain and figure it out."

"… I can't figure it out Lenny."

"Oh for– Their hair you idiot, look at their hair!"

"…Oh Lenny I got it, it's the hair! The girl's is all pink, a–and the boy's, it's blue!"

"Yeah, good job Rick, you're a real pro. Look, the point is that only one kind of person has hair like that, and those are the people from Brave Leaf… and we just found two of em."

"Brave…Leaf? What's that Lenny?"

"Some rinky-dink shanty town down South. What's important is that all the people there are armed to the teeth, and trained to fight. That means these guys must be smart, disciplined, strong, oh yeah, these two will go for a good price! Well, maybe not the boy, I mean he's kinda useless looking, but the girl–" Alex felt the cart slam to a stop, sending him crashing to the side once again. "Whoa! Rick, what the hell you do that for?!"

"Hey Lenny… I think this one's still awake."

"What? . . . Are you sure?"

"He moved when you said 'useless'… I saw him." Alex froze up. He held his breath, praying that they wouldn't investigate the matter any further, but as the harsh silence continued, he knew that all eyes were on him.

"Oh . . . well better safe than sorry. Put em back to sleep and keep moving, we're running late as it is."

"OK Lenny." Alex felt something hard smash into the side of his head, and he lost consciousness again.

When Alex awoke, his head was spinning, and his vision was blurred. He had taken too many blows to the head in one day, and his skull was beating like a drum. All the sounds around him became one befuddled mess once they hit his ears. He couldn't think straight, but he could still see the dark, wooden hallway ahead of him. He was being carried by the arms towards the end of the hall, his legs dragging against the wooden floor the entire way. As he neared the dark corridor ahead of him, it became all the more apparent what little control he had over the situation, but he could still try.

Alex lashed out at his captors, kicking one of them in their shin. The grip on Alex's right arm loosened. He shook off the man's grasp, but the man holding his left arm tightened his grip. Alex reached for his sword, but only ended up grasping at air.

His weapon was missing.

Before Alex knew it the other guard grabbed the back of his head, slamming his face to the floor with a heavy hand. The impact made Alex's head feel like it was going to explode, he screamed out in pain as warm blood began to pool on his forehead.

The man lifted Alex's head by the hair, shaking him as he talked. "Dammit, it's always something with these guys! Always trying to do something stupid! Next time you try to pull something like that, you're dead you hear me!?"

The man Alex had kicked laughed heartily as he rose back to his feet. "Get used to this kid. You're gonna be here for a long time." The other man released his grasp on his hair, and the two continued to drag Alex down the hall. Alex's head hung low, every heartbeat seemed to make his skull tighten even further. The questions assaulting his brain only added to the pressure. He felt sick to his stomach, and the fact that the whole building seemed to be rocking didn't help either.

The men stopped in front of a large, black wooden door. The door had three bars of wood keeping it locked in place. Alex kept his head down, but he could hear the wooden bars being slid off their clasps, and the heavy wall of a door being slowly opened in front of him.

Alex looked up, his eyes widening to the chilling sight before him. A large, spacious room lied in front of him. The only source of light in the room came through some rusted, metal grates on the ceiling, where Alex could see the open sky above. There were about fifteen other men sitting around on the wooden floor, the majority of them were clothed in tattered rags, and some of them looked to be near Alex's age. Most seemed to be keeping their distance from one another, but some them were chained by the wrist to other prisoners, tethering them together. As the guards dragged Alex towards the center of the room, he noticed the faces of the onlookers around him. Some kept their heads down, either to avoid unwanted attention, or because they simply didn't care. A few other men though, took the time to watch the spectacle before them. An older looking man shook his head before also looking down, though others continued to stare. Alex looked into the eyes of these people, and saw what he thought was sympathy or pity. But as he stared back he knew that the only thing these people felt was fear.

"Just what is this place?" Alex spoke to no one in particular.

One of his captors leaned in closer. "It's your new home." Alex was met with a kick to the back, launching him towards the middle of the room. He caught himself from slamming face first on the floor, he'd be damned if he suffered another blow to the head. Before he knew it, one of his detainers had gripped him by his right arm, and had clasped something onto it. It was an iron shackle, and the metal squeezed into Alex's flesh.

"You've made it pretty obvious you're gonna be a problem." Said one of the guards. "Since you like to cause trouble, you'll be tethered to another troublemaker, just like you… Try not to kill each other." The men laughed as they began to walk out of the room. Alex stumbled to his feet, the quick motion causing his headache to worsen.

He looked at the backs of his detainers through furious eyes. "What have you done to my friend?! Where's Aella?!" He yelled at the brutes. They only laughed as they continued to walk out the door. "Hey!" He then began to run towards them, but immediately fell backwards, landing on his back with a thud. This caused the two to laugh even more as the creaking of the shutting door echoed off the walls. Alex was about as angry as he was confused. He knew he didn't trip just now. No way.

He had been pulled back.

Alex looked at the chain on his right wrist, and followed where it led on the floor. The chain was longer than expected, and led to a dark corner in the room. This corner was far away from the grate in the ceiling, causing little light to reach there.

_A trouble maker? . . . Just like me?_ Alex didn't walk towards the corner. Instead he stood there, staring at the figure until his eyes would adjust. He flinched when a grin finally showed itself in the darkness.

Alex trembled right then and there, for he had recognized that grin from his dream. The slender frame and bright clothing did not help in hiding the malice in the person before him. He didn't want to believe it. He tried to convince himself that this was all just another dream as Alex began slowly backing away, but as the malfested stared back at him through glowing yellow eyes, Alex knew that this was very real.

_This isn't right… no, this is impossible! Why is he here?! What does he want from us?! _Alex remembered the fight in the forest, how Aella was tossed around like a rag-doll by this monster, how he tore her apart without any remorse, and how. . .

Alex stopped backing up.

_And how he had the nerve to smile at me, as he threatened my friend. _He remembered all the pain Aella was in, all the blood she lost in that forest. And then he remembered the fear he felt when he thought he had lost her. And yet here the malfested was, still grinning at him like some crazed idiot. Any fear inside Alex quickly washed away, and was replaced by something else.

He clenched his fists and began walking towards the figure. The malfested must have noticed this, because his grin had quickly disappeared. He held up his hands in defense.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on!" Asura stammered. "Look, I realize you must be a little… ticked at everything that's happened, and let me just say that I, _deeply_ apologize for everything, but before you take another step, you should know that this–" He tapped at his chains with his index finger. "–is all your fault."


	12. Unbound

12

Unbound

Aella sat there, kneeling in the corner of a room, the sound of footsteps and seagulls could be heard from up above. She was in a small wooden cabin with nothing inside but a single iron door, and a large metal grate in the ceiling which let in a great amount of light. Her tonfas were missing, but she wasn't worried. If her plan worked, she wouldn't need them. The damp wood moaned and creaked all around her, but she didn't mind. She would need it to hide the sound of her breathing.

Aella had woken up some time ago on the floor of this very room. Ever since she had followed that man in the city she and Alex discovered, she hadn't seen another soul.

_That was stupid of me. Running after him like that, in a place I didn't know… I should've just waited for Alex, or at least give him some sort of signal... _She remembered following the stranger into a house, and then into a basement, but anything after that was a haze. Aella then began to ponder about her friend.

_Is he still in the city?... I sure hope not. _She glanced up through the grate, catching a glimpse of the circling birds up above. _Wherever I am, it's obviously a ways from the city. There weren't any seagulls there. _Aella's thoughts were cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps, this time not from up above, but on the other side of the door right beside her. This had been what she was waiting for.

She prepped herself, taking a deep breath as she waited for it to open. Though to her irritation, the footstep's volume decreased over time, as whoever was on the other side continued walking. Aella sighed as she returned to her thoughts.

_I wonder if Alex is trapped here like me… that would be my fault then, wouldn't it? Then again, this is really my fault from the get-go. I'm the one that got captured… I wonder what he's doing right now. _She looked around the barren room before her._ I wonder if he's as confused as I am._

A thundering voice on the other side of the door almost made her jump. "Yeah, you have fun with that. Boss told me to watch the girl, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do."

Another voice followed. "Seriously? You're just gonna let me go there alone? What if something happens to me?"

"What're you whining about? It's just another disturbance. You've broken fights up before haven't you?"

"Yeah, but I like havin' back-up on my side just in case things go bad."

"Like I said, have fun with that."

"Yeah whatever, I'll remember this… Oh, and if I were you I'd at least check on the girl. Room's been so quiet I'd think she's dead." The sound of running footsteps thumped on the wooden floor outside, followed by a low mumbling right outside the door. The sound of jingling keys put Aella's brain on high alert, as she took another deep breath and readied herself yet again.

_This is it… I can't mess this up._ The door clicked, and slowly opened towards Aella, forcing her to press her back against the wall.

"What the…?" A voice said. A tall, gruff looking man walked into the room, though by now Aella was totally hidden behind the door. The man took another step, placing himself in the middle of the room.

_Now!_ Aella pushed the door away from her, causing it to slam with a thud. She sprinted towards the man so quickly, that he had no time to turn around. She pivoted on her foot once she was close enough, sending a round-house kick crashing into the side of his head. The guard hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Aella wished she could've seen his face, because the sound he made when he fell sounded something akin to a startled moose. The guard lied there on the ground unmoving, but still breathing.

Aella smirked. _Wow it worked, that was too easy! _Aellastepped towards the unconscious guard, crouching down to check his body for anything she could use. _No keys… no map… not even a weapon? What kind of guard doesn't carry a weapon?!_ Aella sighed in irritation before standing up. She walked towards the heavy iron door, and attempted to open it. It did not move, no matter how hard she pulled on the handle. She must have locked herself in when she slammed the door a few seconds ago.

_Aw no…Do I seriously have to wait here again? _Aella stood there, pondering her options before sighing and turning towards the unconscious guard, when a glimmer near a corner of the room caught her eye. She walked towards the glint, ever curious of what it could be. She crouched down, picking up a ring full of shiny, slivery keys. It must have flown off the guard's person when Aella had knocked him out.

She grasped the newly-found treasure in her hands and grinned. She could use these. She strolled towards the heavy iron door again, chose a random key, and unlocked the door on her first try. When she opened the door she made sure to wipe the smug smile off her face, as she lowered her body to a crouch. When she stepped out the door, there was only a single hallway that went towards the right. With no other choice, she made her way down the dark, wooden corridor, making sure to stay as silent as possible. She crept down the hallway until she saw what looked to be a circular window further ahead.

_Finally! Maybe now I can figure out where I am._ Aella sped up in anticipation, hoping to shed some light on this confusing situation. She approached the window, raising herself ever so slowly, making sure there weren't any more guards on the other side that would see her. When she had finished ascending, it took her a few good seconds to process exactly what she was looking at, but when she did figure it out, her heart sank.

The sun was shining like a white beacon, high up in the sky, the Seagulls flying in circles up above. The shimmering light danced upon the water, which stretched for miles over the horizon. Silvery waves crashed against the wooden hull below causing the vessel to lurch and rock with the tide.

She was on the ocean, she was on a ship.

She was not trapped underground, or in some large building like she had imagined before, but instead was miles out on the open sea. Aella slowly stumbled away from the porthole as she was assaulted by a myriad of realizations.

Aella had taken the time to study the map that used to be in her satchel. She remembered there being no lakes or other major bodies of water being within a day's travel of them. This meant that she had been brought to the coast, and is now miles away from the continent, the distance between her and Seiroth growing with every passing second. Aella had never travelled far beyond Brave Leaf before, let alone the forest that surrounded it. The thought of leaving the whole continent for the first time in her life filled her head with fear of the unknown. She could be heading anywhere, and she still had no clue of what her captors had in store for her once they reached land.

Aella covered her eyes with her hand as she grimaced in harsh realization that if Alex was still on land, there was no way he would be able to help her...

This was also her first time ever being on a ship, though the fact alone didn't frighten her. She was a decent swimmer, if things ever got really bad she wouldn't be totally helpless in open water, but the thought of being stranded in the middle of the ocean filled her with dread. Seasickness was obviously the least of her concerns, as she didn't feel even a tiny bit queasy ever since she had arrived on the boat. What truly filled her with unease was the fact that even if Aella somehow managed to fight and beat every guard on the ship, including any malfested onboard, she still had no way of getting back home. She didn't know how to read constellations, how to navigate, how to work a sextant, or even how to steer a boat properly. She had no way of knowing which way was the right way home. She was probably already miles away from shore, and the distance between her and her mission only grew as time marched on.

Aella sank to her knees, the porthole just above her, feeling truly powerless in a situation she had never prepared for. Over and over she pondered at her options, thinking of ways she could possibly return home, but every idea always ended in the same way: Failure. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she fought, she would still be trapped in this prison, and the thought wrenched at her heart.

Aella sat there for a couple more moments before rising on one knee, and standing up.

_I have to hope. _She thought to herself. _I have to hope that wherever Alex is, he'll come through for me… _She then gritted her teeth. _But I'm NOT gonna sit here like dead weight until he does! _She then began to walk in a brisk pace down the corridor, remembering to be quiet while she moved.

_First things first, I have to stop the ship as soon as possible. _Aella began to quicken her pace as she walked…faster…faster, until she was dashing down the corridors. _I've wasted too much time as it is! I can't let it get any farther from Seiroth than it already has, and that means getting up to the deck, finding whoever's piloting this thing, and taking them out._

Aella stopped dead in her tracks_, _her feet skidding on the floor when the sound of footsteps began to erupt from around a corner. The footsteps were irregular, sporadic, there must've been at least six other people walking down these halls. Aella couldn't risk a direct confrontation, not within these confined corridors and not without her weapons. To be captured again would be the end of it.

She doubled back behind her, looking for the closest means of escape, when she saw another iron door before her. Perhaps she could hide in there. She whipped out her keys, choosing a random one yet again, and putting it in the lock.

Nothing.

The footsteps grew louder. Aella chose another key, this time choosing one that seemed to match the design of the door. The key twisted in the lock, but the door wouldn't budge. She pushed and pulled at the door in desperation, unable to think clearly over the rumble of nearby footsteps, but the door did not move. That's when she saw it, the thing that was keeping her from entering. There was a thick, metal bar hanging on two brackets over the door keeping it closed shut. She quickly slid the bar off of its braces as the bar hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed through the halls.

"Whoa! Did you hear that?!" Yelled a voice from around a corner. Aella didn't waste any more time. She swung open the door before sheepishly running inside, and closing it behind her. She then locked the door back with the same key, before finally catching her breath.

Voices rang out on the other side, but they were muffled and faint, as if this door was able to block out sound.

_That's weird. _Aella thought. _I could hear voices clearly beyond my door, and I know mine didn't have a bar like this. _Aella turned around towards the room. There was nothing but pitch black. There were no windows, no grate in the ceiling, only pure darkness clouding her vision. _Why go through the trouble of extra security for an empty, dark room? _The slow rattle of iron chains shook Aella to the core. It was close. She looked all around her for the source, but it was no use. The room was too dark. Aella was barely able to see her hands in front of her face, let alone the rest of the room. The rattling stopped, leaving Aella alone with quiet darkness yet again. She stood there, motionless beside the door, trying to concentrate on any noise. The sound of faint breathing cut through the silence.

Aella spoke in a whisper. "…Who's there?" The rattling commenced again, but only for a second before dying down.

Silence.

Aella stood there pondering whether she should wait for a response, or risk going back out the door. Aella flinched at the sound of a deep breath being taken, before a voice in the darkness spoke in a direct tone.

"…The lamp."

"The… what?"

"The lamp… by the door."

Aella was at first confused at what the voice was saying, before turning to her left and making out what looked to be a small, wooden desk in the corner. Atop the desk was a kerosene lamp. She quickly picked it up, turning the knob on the side until a bright flame emerged from within, bathing the room in flickering light. She scanned the room for the source of the voice, and saw a single figure standing in the middle of the chamber. He was holding his arms out, and appeared to be floating a few feet off the ground. Aella hesitantly stepped towards the abnormality when she saw the chains. Two sets of chains hung from the ceiling, and were wrapped around each of the captive's arms all the way to the shoulders. They must have been wrapped a thousand times over, because Aella couldn't see even an inch of skin on his arms past all the iron. These chains suspended him into the air, forcing him to hang by the arms.

Aella stepped towards the man, and gasped in surprise before quickly stepping back. Something was off about this prisoner. Being near this man made Aella's heart quicken, as if it were screaming at her to run. The air around him was heavy, and his presence alone filled the atmosphere with an icy chill. Aella could of sworn she had felt this feeling somewhere before, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She tried to discern what this atmosphere could mean, when a word sprung into her head.

Power.

Despite his condition, this man was undeniably strong. Aella could feel it, she just didn't know how. Aella waited a moment for the feeling to subside before stepping towards the man again. She held the lamp out, shining light onto his face. The man had a dark complexion with dull, brown eyes. He had short, straight, dark-brown hair that stuck up in places, and ended in a red tint near the ends. He had no facial hair or scars, but his brow was trickled with sweat. He was topless, showing well-formed muscle beneath bright red scars all over his chest and stomach. Some of his wounds were still bleeding.

"Who…who did this to you?" Aella asked. The stranger only stared back, as if studying her. "…Do you need any help?" Still silence. "My name is Aella… what's your–"

"How did you get out?" The man said in a direct tone.

"Huh?"

"I said how did you get out? ... You're not a guard… and I've never seen your face before… you must be a prisoner… How did you leave your room?" The man stared at Aella through unblinking eyes and furrowed brows, impatient for an answer.

"I hid in the corner of my room, and waited for a guard to enter. When he did, I knocked him out and ran out the door."

The man raised an eyebrow, and waited before replying. "You expect me to believe you knocked out a guard unarmed?"

"Believe it or don't, that's how it happened."

"I see…but how did you get out of your bindings?"

"Oh…I didn't have any bindings on when I woke up." The man looked surprised for a second, but quickly turned his face away, grunting in annoyance. Aella spoke again. "OK…I told you what you wanted to know, so tell me about where we are."

The man looked back towards Aella. "…Fair enough…You're on a ship."

"Gee thanks, I figured as much."

"A slave ship to be exact."

"And where is this ship heading?"

The man tried to shrug, but that proved difficult in his current position. "Some distant continent where we'll probably be sold in an auction… but that's only a guess. I have no idea where we're going."

"Oh…" Aella spoke in a whisper.

The man could tell that Aella was discouraged. "…Raymond."

"What?" Aella asked.

"A while ago you tried asking for my name… It's Raymond."

"Oh...well if you don't mind me asking Raymond, why did they do this to you?" She gestured to the chains. "Isn't this a bit much, even for a prisoner? And your wounds–did they torture you?"

"…They did... But it' more than alright… because I remember every one of their faces…and the second I get out of here…" The prisoner's voice trailed off.

"You still didn't answer my question." Aella said. "Why go through the trouble of doing all this to you?"

Raymond regained his composure, looking away as he talked. "I would guess they did this to sedate me… They tortured me because they knew it wouldn't kill me…They put me in chains because they think I'm valuable." He smirked to himself. "I guess Cores fetch a good price on the market."

"What? _Cores?_ What are you talking abo–" Aella froze right there. She remembered where she had heard that word before, and everything began to make sense all too fast. The chains, the barred door, the intense atmosphere, everything became clear.

When she and Alex had captured that malfested the other day, he spoke of Cores. Beings with God-like power, chaos bringers, and the creators of the forged malfested that had attacked their quiet village so many times. These were the Core malfested, and Aella was standing right in front of one.

"You…you're a malfested?"

"…Yes…tell me Aella… do you hate me for it?"

"W–what?"

"Do you hate me purely on the fact that I'm malfested?...Will you kill me for it?" Aella flinched at the thought. Raymond continued. "If so, now would be the best time to do it. I'd hardly put up much of a fight."

And he was right. He wouldn't put up much of a fight. It would be so easy. Aella would only have to wrap her hands around his neck for maybe a minute, and part of a growing problem in Seiroth would be gone. It was people like him, Core malfested, that turned people into monsters, people like him that slaughtered hundreds of innocents and would think nothing about it. This was supposed to be the enemy, but as Aella looked at this bloodied, condemned man as he hung from his chains, she was positive she was only looking at a victim.

"Answer this:" Aella spoke. "Did you choose to become what you are today?"

The question caught the malfested off guard, his eyes widening at the question. "…No…no, I didn't."

"…I'm not going to kill you."

"Really? Just because of that fact alone you would let me live?"

"If I _kill_ anyone, it'll be because of their actions, not because of who they are, or what they're made to be. That being said, if you know any ways to get back home…"

The malfested stared in silence before speaking again. "…There's nothing you can do. We're already miles away from Seiroth. The only thing we can do is wait for…." His voice trailed off.

"Raymond?" Aella said. He didn't seem to be looking at her anymore. "Raymond, what are you–" she then became aware of where his attention was. Raymond had locked his gaze on the ring of keys on her hip.

Raymond looked back at Aella. "You…have the keys." Aella furrowed her brow at the malfested before shoving the keys in her pocket. "Aella…let me out of here…I can help you."

Aella shook her head. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"You can't get off this ship without my help."

"Really? And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Be serious now. Even on the slim chance that you manage to beat every guard on this ship, what then? You can't get back home on your own. You don't know how to sail right? Well I do… I can get us back home… but only if you let me."

"Why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"We're both prisoners here on this ship, I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, you have no other options. The only other person that knows how to pilot the ship is the Captain, and he would sooner kill you before he steers this ship for you. You either leave me here and stay a prisoner, or you free me so we can return to Seiroth together."

Aella contemplated what he was saying, and it was true that she didn't see many other options. If she was caught again, they'd watch her even more closely. Whether Aella liked it or not, right now this man was the only person that could make a difference in getting her back home. She removed the keys from her pocket and stepped towards Raymond.

Aella was confused. "Uhh…where do I–"

"There are padlocks on the back of my arms." Aella walked behind the man, holding the flickering light higher towards the ceiling until light flickered on two silvery padlocks, making them sparkle. She had to stand on her toes just to reach the first one on his right arm. She placed a silver key in the lock and twisted. The chains unraveled into a large coil on the ground reaching halfway towards the ceiling. Raymond was now only hanging by a single arm. Aella walked towards the other arm, and unlocked that one as well, praying that she wouldn't regret this later.

The chains hit the ground with a thump, and Raymond landed on his knees, catching himself with his right arm. He stood up to flex his arms and hands. He then turned around and walked straight towards the door, walking right past Aella as he did so.

He pushed open the door with a shove as he spoke. "I guess I should be thanking you."

"For sparing your life, or setting you free?"

"For having poor judgment."

Raymond stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him.


End file.
